The Bunker

Oni-Press 

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art and color by Joe Infurnari 

Hello again dear readers! I hope you are in for something different than my usual super hero reviews.  Instead, we are going on a dystopian adventure with a dark twist.  Its not usually my type of comic but I think it important to branch out and try new things. “The Bunker” is certainly a thinker and if you are into stories that make you stop and consider your own actions, what is right and wrong then this is the comic for you!

A group of friends are wondering the forest to find some place to bury their time capsule.  Given the banter, it is made clear that the group have been long time friends and end up taking a group picture before they start digging.  As they dig, they find what appears to be a bunker with most of their names on it.  After a short discussion, the group enters and inside they find notes from future selves. Naturally they think it all a prank but the logic doesn’t add up. It is there they find that their futures do not look so bright and that the group is in for a rude awakening. A Zombie Apocalypse perhaps?  No place is safe…but it is not too late.
This is not your typical, bright visuals, battle action adventure, little dialogue type story.  It is very much the opposite.  Very bleak and sketchy style, more informative, and lots and lots of dialogue. To some of the comicfreaks, that might be a bit of a turn off but don’t let the speech bubbles intimidate you! The visual style fits the story very well with its sketchy but almost hazy look.   It adds to the feel of the characters and how clouded and almost complicated living in a desolate disease infested life might be.  The minimal color palate I thought was a nice touch as well, the simplistic feel is different from most of the comics I read, it was a refreshing change.

The pacing of the story and how wordy it is, might be what I found to be a little…long.  I understand that there was a lot of information that was needed to be given. I felt at times it was as if I was reading a novel.  As a reader, I don’t mind but at the same time I read comics as a quick read that I can have on my half hour lunch breaks. This was a comic I had to read at home in the quiet and left alone.  Maybe not the best  way to hook in readers but if you are willing to take the time (or less of a multitasking can’t sit still for to long type of person) you might really enjoy this aspect. A small issue I had with it was that things didn’t really start to pick up for me until about issue six.  I was interested enough to keep reading up to that point but…six issues? Overall, If you enjoy brain ticklers then this is the story for you!

Overall Score: 7 / 10