The Unknown is a comic books series written by famous comic book writer and creator, Mark Waid , known for being a writer of DC Comic 's popular graphic novel series, The Flash . Illustrations are made by international superstar Minck Oosterveer . Covers are made and designed by Paul Pope and Eric Jones.
The first issue of The Unknown was first released last May of 2009 by Boom! Studios , and succeeding monthly issues followed up until August of 2009. By September Boom! Studios started to make way for the release its sequel new sequel, The Unknown : The Devil Made Flesh , which is still releasing new issues of graphic novels as of today, December 2009.
The cover of the 1st issue of The Unknown
The Unknown - Volume 1
As previously mentioned, the first issue of The Unknown was released last May of 2009. It talks about the first few adventures of Catherine Allingham and her apprentice, James Doyle on the quest to solve the greatest mystery of all, is there life after death?
Summary (Some Spoilers)
Catherine Allingham, the smartest person alive, is a highly respected freelance investigator who solves cases with a lighting quick mind and an uncanny knack for making accurate conclusions. Upon working on a case, she comes across James Doyle, a bouncer at a club she is investigating at. Noting his remarkable ability to observe and register subtle movements in a person and use this data to deduce key information regarding the said individual, she hires him to help her solve a case of great scientific magnitude.
The duo travels to Vienna, where they meet two brothers, Karl and Ludo Faderbauer, who recently had an item of immense value stolen from them. The case quickly strays far from reasonableness as the circumstances of the theft become stranger and stranger. Catherine then comes to the conclusion that the object, an item used to detect the presence and weight (and therefore existence) of the human soul, was purposely let go by Karl for some reason. The trail of events and clues eventually leads them to a cult-like group of individuals who supposedly guard the gates of the afterlife by preventing the detection of the human soul. Karl sold the device to the supposed guardian, Father Kerberos, for a large sum of money to be burned in a furnace and never used, thus keeping the existence of the human soul a mystery.
Catherine, determined to find the truth, escapes the furnace room and goes underground, finding the gates to the afterlife. A terminally ill Catherine, with only six months left to live, is willing to sacrifice all to know the truth. Opening the gates, they see a part of it. They are locked in, however, with no way out. There is another gate further in the distance, with a man who Catherine thinks is James, at the door. They rush to the door, and Catherine, arriving first, realizes that it's not James. They then meet a mysterious man, who has appeared to both of them numerous times in "hallucinations," a tall, wrinkled, gray figure. After several failed attempts to tempt Catherine into opening it, he opens the gates to the afterlife and everyone is sucked in, including Father Kerberos, who chased them down and locked them in the hall. Kerberos is sucked in and engulfed, but Catherine and James are able to hold on to the hands of one of the deceased. They survived and leave the area safely.
Both of them end up enlightened by the experience, and, Catherine, satisfied by her experience, calls on James to come with her on another adventure.
Art Critique
Another cover of the 1st issue of The Unknown
This comic book series would not have the same feel if it isn't for its art. The art is a major contribution to the comic's mysterious and peculiar story. The way the artist made each panel not very colorful from the start until when Catherine and James escape is simply genius. Characters have very well-defined facial expressions and clothing, which helps in determining the characters' roles and intentions. Shadows and lighting all add to the dark and gloomy effect the artist wants to show.
Overall, the art and graphics found in this comic book is visually appealing to the eye. The great blend and mix of dark colors adds to its mysterious look and feel. It is definitely a serious and professional piece of art, and not some child's drawing.
Review
Although it is pretty easy to find graphic novels that deal with the clash of science and fiction, or sci-fi for short, it is fairly difficult to find one that deals with faith and questions about life after death.
The Unknown is just that. It is about a detective Catherine Allingham, the smartest person on Earth, along with her apprentice, James Doyle. They are on a quest to find a missing item of immense value, a box/case that mysteriously contains answers to the presence and weight of the human soul. Throughout their journey, the case becomes more mysterious every minute, as they eventually encounter several peculiar clues and more mysteries related to the case. At the start of the story, the plot may seem pretty boring and cliché, but as the story progresses, it becomes more and more original and interesting to read. Towards the middle of the story, the duo start to have a different goal, not anymore the missing box case, but the greatest mystery of all, something many people, including scientists, have tried to solve, but failed; what happens to us after we die? This change of objective is what makes the comic book pretty interesting to read. Only a few graphic novels have tried to tackle on this deep and intricate topic. It is a book that contains several symbolisms that not all brains can interpret, which makes the book not so easy to understand for some people. It is definitely a comic book that makes all of us think.
Dialogues found within the story are very smart. They contain words that are pretty easy to understand and at the same time, contain words that are very witty in a scientific sense.
Complimenting the very mysterious look and feel of the comic, the art is pretty appealing to the eye. The dark and gloomy mood of the comic is set by its not so colorful drawings and graphics. Facial expressions and physical features are given much detail and description. The shadows and lighting in the book are very appropriate and realistic. The art is definitely one of the things that sets the comic book apart from others.
The graphic novel is, overall a pretty amazing and a very good read. It is not the typical superhero or science fiction comic book. It is, hands down, a very unique and one of a kind comic book that everyone should try to read.
Rating : 9.5/10 - Excellent!
Plot Analysis (Major Spoilers)
The Hero Cycle
Call to Adventure - Catherine Allingham was assigned to investigate a case on the sudden and mysterious vanishing of a mysterious box which contains valuable scientific information. After the plane ride to Vienna, Austria, she, along with her apprentice, James, meet two brothers and scientists who explain to them in further detail the situation. Baffled by the box that could give answers to the mystery of life after death, they accept the challenge (but do not tell the scientists this) and go on their way.
Helper I - Catherine goes with the help of her apprentice, James Doyle who helps her find some clues that would help solve the case.
Crossing - The duo go on a train ride in search for the mystery stolen box. They somehow cross from the 'normal' world to a world filled with many strange supernatural mysteries.
Supreme Ordeal - They find the location of the missing box, but then fight their way into finding the gate to the afterlife. They battle different guardians who try to stop them from achieving their goal. After they finally reach the gate, a wrinkled gray old man with dark intentions tempts Catherine into opening the gate.
Flight - Frustrated by Catherine's hesitation, the old man opens the door himself. The door forcibly suck everything near it, including James and Catherine. They try to hold back, and eventually escape the dreaded place.
Return - Everything somehow goes back to normal as Catherine and James go back home to the 'normal' world.
Boon - Catherine is very hyped up with her previous discovery and goes on another adventure along with her sidekick, James.
7 Basic Plots
Of the seven basic plots, the story of The Unknown follows more the basic plot of Voyage and Return. In the story, Catherine and James go on a journey or voyage to solve the greatest mystery of all, what happens to us when we die? Throughout the entire journey, they encounter many different experiences and situations that either helps them or hinders them from achieving their goal. After seeing things they have never seen before and after finally confirming the existence of an afterlife, they return back home, and don't speak of the incident to other people aside from themselves, as if nothing had happened. An internal change happens as both Catherine and James have a new perspective on the existence of life after death.
Character Analyses (Spoilers)
James Doyle
Catherine Allingham's new sidekick and apprentice, James Doyle was once a bouncer for the club Dante's Club. He, just like Catherine, is very good in paying attention to detail. He notices and keeps track of things that ordinary people do not, such as the touching of one's wallet as a sign of an eventual attempt to steal another. He is a perfect match for Catherine and her detective work, which is why she hired him to follow her in her missions.
James has detective skills and material just like Catherine. They are very good in being 'partners in crime' as they both have a good sense of paying attention to detail. They are similar in many ways, and the only difference between them may be their gender and their health conditions.
Karl and Ludo Faderbauer
Two brother scientists in search to solve mysteries regarding the existence of the human using science and quantum mechanics as their tool. These two are scientists who take great risk in an attempt to discover something for science. They risk wasting millions of dollars and a lot of their time just for science, fame and glory. These two brothers are the greedy-type ones who'd practically do anything for money, fame or glory. Especially Karl, who, we would later find out, 'steals' the valuable box just for a very huge sum of money.
Both of these brothers dedicate practically their whole lives for science. Similarly, Catherine shares this love for science. She tries her best to give a scientific perspective to practically anything. These three people can be portrayed as 'science geeks'
Father Kerberos
He was once a simple spelunker who, one day, encountered a strange huge gate. Filled with much curiosity, he opens the gate and finds out what is on the other side, the realm of the undead. He found the door to the afterlife. However, the demons and angels on the other side did not favor his discovery and were angered. And so, Kerberos made a deal with them that granted him immortality in exchange for the commitment to guarding the gate between life and death.
Although he may be the main villain of the main villain of the story, he is still a little bit similar to the main character of the story, Catherine. Both of them are, in fact, very curious. Father Kerberos was once a curious spelunker who couldn't resist opening the large door. Catherine is also a very curious detective who uses her curiosity as an advantage in solving cases. Both of their curiosity have contributed to what they are today. If it wasn't for Kerberos's curiosity, he wouldn't have been guarding the gate. And if it wasn't for Catherine's curiosity, she would never have been one of the world's greatest detectives.
Symbolisms
The Gray Wrinkled Old Man as The Angel of Death
One of the many mysterious things Catherine and eventually James see is the the strange scary-looking old man with droopy noticeable wrinkles. Of all things, this man can be seen as the Angel of Death.
According to belief, the Angel of Death appears to a person when he or she is at the brink of death or about to die. In the comic, the gray man starts to appear to Catherine at the time when she knows that she is going to die. Similarly, the gray man also appears to James when he is in great risk of becoming dead. Both of them 'hallucinate' seeing the gray man when they are near death.
When Catherine reaches the gate to the afterlife, the gray man was there to tempt her into opening the gate herself so that she may be the cause of her own death. However, when Catherine, with the help of James, resists, the gray man becomes unsatisfied and opens the gate himself. Fate has chosen them to die at that time, and so the Angel of Death was there. However, they escape fate and escape death.
The Dead Girl in James's Life as All of Our Regrets
In the story, a girl, perhaps special to the life of James, is dead. James is very much saddened because of this, and is devastated because he thinks that her death is his fault. And the gray man reminds her about this.
This dead girl symbolizes all of our regrets, all of the things we regret doing. They may put us down and make us unable to continue on with our lives because of the guilt, but we should not let this happen. We should believe that the past is the past and what's done is done, and continue on with our lives. Regretting doing something will not change anything. We should still face the truth of life.
Similarly, James does the same. At the start, he may have been very down because of the event. He may have stopped having hope, but in the end he realized that all this regretting will not help him. He realized that he should be strong and face the fact that bad things happen in life. He continued on with his life.
The Jar of Medicine as Life Support
Whenever Catherine sees or 'hallucinates' seeing the gray man, she takes a tablet of medicine from her jar. The medicine is suppose to help her with her 'hallucinations'
Since the gray man symbolizes the Angel of Death, the medicine symbolizes life support, which helps people prolong our lives suspend our inevitable death.
Whenever Catherine takes a dose of the medicine, she thinks she can prevent seeing the gray man. However, that is not the case. At first, the medicine works, but eventually, the medicine become useless and turns into M&Ms. This can be compared to the fact that nobody can escape death, just suspend it by just a little. Death is inevitable; nothing can stop it, not even artificial life support.
The Unknown
The Unknown is a comic books series written by famous comic book writer and creator, Mark Waid , known for being a writer of DC Comic 's popular graphic novel series, The Flash . Illustrations are made by international superstar Minck Oosterveer . Covers are made and designed by Paul Pope and Eric Jones.
The first issue of The Unknown was first released last May of 2009 by Boom! Studios , and succeeding monthly issues followed up until August of 2009. By September Boom! Studios started to make way for the release its sequel new sequel, The Unknown : The Devil Made Flesh , which is still releasing new issues of graphic novels as of today, December 2009.
The Unknown - Volume 1
As previously mentioned, the first issue of The Unknown was released last May of 2009. It talks about the first few adventures of Catherine Allingham and her apprentice, James Doyle on the quest to solve the greatest mystery of all, is there life after death?
Summary (Some Spoilers)
Catherine Allingham, the smartest person alive, is a highly respected freelance investigator who solves cases with a lighting quick mind and an uncanny knack for making accurate conclusions. Upon working on a case, she comes across James Doyle, a bouncer at a club she is investigating at. Noting his remarkable ability to observe and register subtle movements in a person and use this data to deduce key information regarding the said individual, she hires him to help her solve a case of great scientific magnitude.
The duo travels to Vienna, where they meet two brothers, Karl and Ludo Faderbauer, who recently had an item of immense value stolen from them. The case quickly strays far from reasonableness as the circumstances of the theft become stranger and stranger. Catherine then comes to the conclusion that the object, an item used to detect the presence and weight (and therefore existence) of the human soul, was purposely let go by Karl for some reason. The trail of events and clues eventually leads them to a cult-like group of individuals who supposedly guard the gates of the afterlife by preventing the detection of the human soul. Karl sold the device to the supposed guardian, Father Kerberos, for a large sum of money to be burned in a furnace and never used, thus keeping the existence of the human soul a mystery.
Catherine, determined to find the truth, escapes the furnace room and goes underground, finding the gates to the afterlife. A terminally ill Catherine, with only six months left to live, is willing to sacrifice all to know the truth. Opening the gates, they see a part of it. They are locked in, however, with no way out. There is another gate further in the distance, with a man who Catherine thinks is James, at the door. They rush to the door, and Catherine, arriving first, realizes that it's not James. They then meet a mysterious man, who has appeared to both of them numerous times in "hallucinations," a tall, wrinkled, gray figure. After several failed attempts to tempt Catherine into opening it, he opens the gates to the afterlife and everyone is sucked in, including Father Kerberos, who chased them down and locked them in the hall. Kerberos is sucked in and engulfed, but Catherine and James are able to hold on to the hands of one of the deceased. They survived and leave the area safely.
Both of them end up enlightened by the experience, and, Catherine, satisfied by her experience, calls on James to come with her on another adventure.
Art Critique
This comic book series would not have the same feel if it isn't for its art. The art is a major contribution to the comic's mysterious and peculiar story. The way the artist made each panel not very colorful from the start until when Catherine and James escape is simply genius. Characters have very well-defined facial expressions and clothing, which helps in determining the characters' roles and intentions. Shadows and lighting all add to the dark and gloomy effect the artist wants to show.
Overall, the art and graphics found in this comic book is visually appealing to the eye. The great blend and mix of dark colors adds to its mysterious look and feel. It is definitely a serious and professional piece of art, and not some child's drawing.
Review
Although it is pretty easy to find graphic novels that deal with the clash of science and fiction, or sci-fi for short, it is fairly difficult to find one that deals with faith and questions about life after death.The Unknown is just that. It is about a detective Catherine Allingham, the smartest person on Earth, along with her apprentice, James Doyle. They are on a quest to find a missing item of immense value, a box/case that mysteriously contains answers to the presence and weight of the human soul. Throughout their journey, the case becomes more mysterious every minute, as they eventually encounter several peculiar clues and more mysteries related to the case. At the start of the story, the plot may seem pretty boring and cliché, but as the story progresses, it becomes more and more original and interesting to read. Towards the middle of the story, the duo start to have a different goal, not anymore the missing box case, but the greatest mystery of all, something many people, including scientists, have tried to solve, but failed; what happens to us after we die? This change of objective is what makes the comic book pretty interesting to read. Only a few graphic novels have tried to tackle on this deep and intricate topic. It is a book that contains several symbolisms that not all brains can interpret, which makes the book not so easy to understand for some people. It is definitely a comic book that makes all of us think.
Dialogues found within the story are very smart. They contain words that are pretty easy to understand and at the same time, contain words that are very witty in a scientific sense.
Complimenting the very mysterious look and feel of the comic, the art is pretty appealing to the eye. The dark and gloomy mood of the comic is set by its not so colorful drawings and graphics. Facial expressions and physical features are given much detail and description. The shadows and lighting in the book are very appropriate and realistic. The art is definitely one of the things that sets the comic book apart from others.
The graphic novel is, overall a pretty amazing and a very good read. It is not the typical superhero or science fiction comic book. It is, hands down, a very unique and one of a kind comic book that everyone should try to read.
Rating : 9.5/10 - Excellent!
Plot Analysis (Major Spoilers)
The Hero Cycle
7 Basic Plots
Of the seven basic plots, the story of The Unknown follows more the basic plot of Voyage and Return. In the story, Catherine and James go on a journey or voyage to solve the greatest mystery of all, what happens to us when we die? Throughout the entire journey, they encounter many different experiences and situations that either helps them or hinders them from achieving their goal. After seeing things they have never seen before and after finally confirming the existence of an afterlife, they return back home, and don't speak of the incident to other people aside from themselves, as if nothing had happened. An internal change happens as both Catherine and James have a new perspective on the existence of life after death.Character Analyses (Spoilers)
James Doyle
Catherine Allingham's new sidekick and apprentice, James Doyle was once a bouncer for the club Dante's Club. He, just like Catherine, is very good in paying attention to detail. He notices and keeps track of things that ordinary people do not, such as the touching of one's wallet as a sign of an eventual attempt to steal another. He is a perfect match for Catherine and her detective work, which is why she hired him to follow her in her missions.James has detective skills and material just like Catherine. They are very good in being 'partners in crime' as they both have a good sense of paying attention to detail. They are similar in many ways, and the only difference between them may be their gender and their health conditions.
Karl and Ludo Faderbauer
Two brother scientists in search to solve mysteries regarding the existence of the human using science and quantum mechanics as their tool. These two are scientists who take great risk in an attempt to discover something for science. They risk wasting millions of dollars and a lot of their time just for science, fame and glory. These two brothers are the greedy-type ones who'd practically do anything for money, fame or glory. Especially Karl, who, we would later find out, 'steals' the valuable box just for a very huge sum of money.Both of these brothers dedicate practically their whole lives for science. Similarly, Catherine shares this love for science. She tries her best to give a scientific perspective to practically anything. These three people can be portrayed as 'science geeks'
Father Kerberos
He was once a simple spelunker who, one day, encountered a strange huge gate. Filled with much curiosity, he opens the gate and finds out what is on the other side, the realm of the undead. He found the door to the afterlife. However, the demons and angels on the other side did not favor his discovery and were angered. And so, Kerberos made a deal with them that granted him immortality in exchange for the commitment to guarding the gate between life and death.Although he may be the main villain of the main villain of the story, he is still a little bit similar to the main character of the story, Catherine. Both of them are, in fact, very curious. Father Kerberos was once a curious spelunker who couldn't resist opening the large door. Catherine is also a very curious detective who uses her curiosity as an advantage in solving cases. Both of their curiosity have contributed to what they are today. If it wasn't for Kerberos's curiosity, he wouldn't have been guarding the gate. And if it wasn't for Catherine's curiosity, she would never have been one of the world's greatest detectives.
Symbolisms
The Gray Wrinkled Old Man as The Angel of Death
One of the many mysterious things Catherine and eventually James see is the the strange scary-looking old man with droopy noticeable wrinkles. Of all things, this man can be seen as the Angel of Death.According to belief, the Angel of Death appears to a person when he or she is at the brink of death or about to die. In the comic, the gray man starts to appear to Catherine at the time when she knows that she is going to die. Similarly, the gray man also appears to James when he is in great risk of becoming dead. Both of them 'hallucinate' seeing the gray man when they are near death.
When Catherine reaches the gate to the afterlife, the gray man was there to tempt her into opening the gate herself so that she may be the cause of her own death. However, when Catherine, with the help of James, resists, the gray man becomes unsatisfied and opens the gate himself. Fate has chosen them to die at that time, and so the Angel of Death was there. However, they escape fate and escape death.
The Dead Girl in James's Life as All of Our Regrets
In the story, a girl, perhaps special to the life of James, is dead. James is very much saddened because of this, and is devastated because he thinks that her death is his fault. And the gray man reminds her about this.This dead girl symbolizes all of our regrets, all of the things we regret doing. They may put us down and make us unable to continue on with our lives because of the guilt, but we should not let this happen. We should believe that the past is the past and what's done is done, and continue on with our lives. Regretting doing something will not change anything. We should still face the truth of life.
Similarly, James does the same. At the start, he may have been very down because of the event. He may have stopped having hope, but in the end he realized that all this regretting will not help him. He realized that he should be strong and face the fact that bad things happen in life. He continued on with his life.
The Jar of Medicine as Life Support
Whenever Catherine sees or 'hallucinates' seeing the gray man, she takes a tablet of medicine from her jar. The medicine is suppose to help her with her 'hallucinations'Since the gray man symbolizes the Angel of Death, the medicine symbolizes life support, which helps people prolong our lives suspend our inevitable death.
Whenever Catherine takes a dose of the medicine, she thinks she can prevent seeing the gray man. However, that is not the case. At first, the medicine works, but eventually, the medicine become useless and turns into M&Ms. This can be compared to the fact that nobody can escape death, just suspend it by just a little. Death is inevitable; nothing can stop it, not even artificial life support.
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