The Ether #1 - Matt Garvey Comics

THE ETHER No. 1, June 2017

Arguably combining Alan Moore’s ruthless Rorschach with that of Warren Ellis’ smartly dressed and politely well-spoken Mister Knight, Matt Garvey’s titular character for Issue One of “The Ether” certainly had a lot of violent, hard-hitting personality to project when this comic first hit the spinner racks in June 2017. Happily however, the British author quickly makes it clear that his modern-day anti-hero is very much up to the task at hand, penning a marvellously enigmatic rogue whose propensity for headbutting their opponents into submission is as beguiling as the no-nonsense crime-fighter’s investigation into a seven-year old girl’s bloody murder is disconcerting; “So, maybe, just maybe, using terms like the victim might help me concentrate on doing my job, rather than focusing on the fact that someone could do this to a defenceless child.”

In addition, the masked vigilante’s prickly relationship with the local constabulary proves a major hook straight from the get-go, with the “freak” quickly being established as a necessary investigative tool for Detective Wallace whenever his enquiries require someone “to go where the police fear to tread.” This history between the two parties provides the pair with some significant depth of backstory, and becomes even more absorbing when the  the “self-appointed doer of justice" acknowledges having previously injured Constable Jones’ arm when the officer was once foolish enough to try to arrest them.

Comparably as captivating is Garvey’s wonderfully brutal exploration of London’s notorious underworld and the seedy, money-making nature of its immoral inhabitants. Disreputable film maker Teddy Sherman’s shakedown is particularly well-paced as the mysteriously masked “psycho” manages to obtain a few answers to their questions before having to leap out the criminal’s high-rise office window. But even the low-life Ziggy’s interrogation in a rain-drenched alleyway simply bristles with restrained aggression as the main protagonist threatens and muscles their way through their mark’s protestations to snag a lead or two.

Of course, what really catches the reader’s eye with this publication are the colourful and realistically pencilled layouts of Dizevez. The digital artist does a first-rate job of imbuing the Ether with all the quirkiness an audience might expect from so bizarre a custodian of the Big Smoke’s streets, especially whenever they need to execute an excruciatingly painful blow or arm twist upon an opponent. Perhaps this book’s biggest visual hook though is in the adventure’s big reveal two-thirds of the way through, when the illustrator clearly seeks inspiration in the likeness of a readily recognisable British thespian when it comes to drawing the Ether's blonde-haired secret identity.

The regular cover of "THE ETHER" #1 by Dizevez