EXISTENCE
Written, pencilled and inked
by Harold Ritchie Jr.
Edited by Tara Ritchie
Unhinged Studios

Let’s begin with a few words in praise of “stark.” No, not Tony (Iron Man) Stark or that Sebastian Stark guy played by James Woods in the new TV lawyer show SHARK. What we’re talking about here is “stark” as a classic concept: the kind of “stark” that means barren and desolate. The kind of “stark” that is harsh and blunt.

An empty farm house in the middle of nowhere in a John Steinbeck novel is stark. The Arizona desert at night is stark. The rocky surface of Mars is stark. “Stark” can be powerful and can also be beautiful. Harold Ritchie Jr.‘s new comic book EXISTENCE is also stark.

EXISTENCE is the story of a band of freedom fighters in a post-apocalyptic world. A dark, secret government rules and the old governments struggle to retain their power and restore order.

This is the kind of story where starkness is an asset. Ritchie’s minimalist artwork and short, brisk dialogue enhance his bleak story. His panels are tight and as claustrophobic as Paris Hilton‘s walk-in closet. This gives the story a moody atmosphere that conveys a world of paranoia and hopelessness. This is one of those comics that actually benefits from being rendered in black and white. It’s almost impossible to think of the world of EXISTENCE conveyed any other way.

The story moves along at a good pace, and — as in the first issue of most comic books — there isn’t time for a lot of character development. Each character gets a brief introduction, we learn why they are necessary to the plot, and then we move along to the next character.

We first meet Jack West, an amnesiac revolutionary who looks a lot like Silent Bob after a few months on a high-fiber diet. West is rescued by an agent of the Guardians of Order, and both Jack and his rescuer are pursued by the bad guys in a wild chase.

That chase sequence is really the best part of the first issue — Ritchie’s art is best in the panels where the good guys are making their getaway. The lack of background detail complements the desolation facing the heroes of EXISTENCE.

We learn that Jack has been tortured for three years by TOC (the Omni Corpus) and that he was once the “strongest soldier” in his unit — which probably means he’ll be around for issue number 2 and beyond.

We meet other members of the cast, but again, we don’t really learn too much about anyone, but we do discover who the bad guys are and get a hint of what they’re trying to do.

But while the art and writing of EXISTENCE is stark, the plot is quite complex. I don’t want to give too much away here, but you’ll want to read this a couple of times to catch all the details. There’s enough happening here that it can be confusing if you’re not paying attention.

In the copy I received for review, there were a number of grammar and punctuation errors (which I hope were corrected before final publication). There were also a few problems with some of the character’s anatomy, which I’m sure will be tightened up in subsequent issues.

All in all, EXISTENCE is a work in progress and should be experienced that way. Be patient, it looks like Ritchie is going somewhere with this and if you like your comics stark, you might want to be along for the ride.