Written by: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
Art by: Colin Lorimer
Colours by: Joana Lafuente
Published by: Boom! Studios
Burning Fields #1 (of 8) is a dark and brooding murder mystery set amid the backdrop of war scarred Iraq, focused primarily on the oil fields. The tone of the book is set instantly, with a rather gruesome scene involving a bloodied man, a pair of pliers, and the aforementioned gentleman suffering a brutal mutilation. With the darkness of the art, and the gore, you get an instant feel for this book.
Central to the investigation of the suspected serial killer, we have Dana Atkinson, a former military operative who is now mixed up with the police and the Russian mob. Dana is a badass, tough, uncompromising and with enough attitude to match a legion of adolescent thugs. There is a tongue in cheek reference to the movie Seven and the analogy is very worthwhile. This first issue, acting as a statement of intent, works perfectly.
The story by Moreci and Daniel has been plotted well, the characterisation and situations compliment the story and the gore is a thing of gut wrenching beauty. The art starts out feeling unduly dark but as you progress through the pages you see that you grasp that the darkness is perfect for this story. Lorimer appears to have a particular grasp of the more brutal aspects of human violence, this isn’t a bad thing; on the contrary it lends an authentic feel to proceedings. The opening scene works well and the close out is something quite delicious.
Mixed with the situation on the ground, the arrival of Dana acts as a catalyst – she has a history with certain members of the military and they bear a vicious grudge.
With the military, the Iraqi police, the killer and also, the addition of the combative and problematic Dana, there are all the ingredients for a twisted, brutal and engrossing tale. With a suitably grotesque ending to issue 1 the stage is set for good things to follow in this 8 part story. With any luck the quality and execution from the creative team will not peter out but go from strength to strength. Should that happen, Burning Fields will be a very entertaining series.
