Fell is a gitty and morally deranged comic written by the great Warren Ellis who is known for works such as the cyberpunk classic Transmetropolitan, the superhero, Hellboy, among other comics.
I Picked It Up because the cover looked gritty and sad. It had a rawness to it that made me think of the first season of True Detective. I’ve heard the comic Black Monday Murders is a good one for people who enjoyed True Detective, and while that’s certainly a comic I plan to grab up at some point, Fell looks to be a nice blend of nihilistic detective work and supernatural oddities.
The Premis is all about the title of this comic. Fell is the detective’s name, but it could also refer to the fact he’s been moved out of the city and into a small place called Snowtown–some scummy backwater nobody seems to care about. He is greeted to town when he shows up to the apartment building he’s moving into and finds the body of a man being carried out by EMTs. The woman in the apartment next to his says the man was a drunk and the drink is for the devil. She calls him devil cop. Not a wonderful way to start your new life. This is where Fell starts.
The Art in this piece is disturbing. Everything is seen through something like a fisheye lens, distorting features, turning fingers into claws. Everyone has issues in Snowtown. From the police chief to the bartender Fell meets that night–and each of them, because of these problems, are drawn to reflect these issues. The fisheye feeling gives the whole piece an oppressive feeling, as though the camera is pushing up and in on the people. Like life is pressing on them from every angle. It’s a cool effect, even if it isn’t particularly pleasant.
I’ll Continue reading because I don’t think a single issue is enough to get a real feel for this. I think the world is a lot bigger than is first let on. I don’t think the world Fell lives in is our own. The city he used to work in is never mentioned by name and the whole thing has a very apocalyptic feel to it. Hopefully, that’s where this is headed.
Winter Station 