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The Friday Review: Kane: Greetings From New Eden
KANE BOOK ONE: GREETINGS FROM NEW EDEN (1996)
Sometimes, the good ones slip through. KANE first appeared in 1993, and was launched during the course of a UK tour which saw creator Paul Grist joining with Dave Sim and Gerhard of CEREBUS and Nabiel Kanan, who was launching EXIT. Of course, no-one had heard of KANE back then. Most people attended these signings simply to see Sim. I'd certainly never heard of either Grist or Kanan, but my then-retailer waxed lyrical about both creators and their books. In the end, I walked away from that signing with the first issue of each. I adored EXIT, and read it religiously. I read KANE once, and literally forgot about it. A few years later, on a friend's recommendation, I bought the first collection of KANE, entitled WELCOME TO NEW EDEN, intrigued by the enthusiasm of my friend and not really remembering much about the comic itself. I now have an opportunity to make good on that earlier lapse of judgement, by telling you this: KANE is simply one of the best comics being published right now. At its heart, KANE is a cop story. But like all good cop stories, it is also much more than 'just' a cop story. It mixes high drama with occasional farce, melodrama with understatement, and hyperactive dialogue with an Alex Toth-like artistic minimalism. There isn't another book quite like it. Kane (we never learn his full name) is a detective in the city of New Eden. Like any other cop, he has a sense of right and wrong above and beyond mere law. He does things by the book, but is willing to bend the rules when good reason calls. And he is hated by most of his own precinct for one simple reason: Kane shot and killed his own partner. This lynchpin of the character is, contrary to expectations, revealed almost immediately in the book. The very first chapter draws on it heavily, mirroring this traumatic experience from the past with Kane's situation in the immediate present; a baby held hostage in a church. In fact, this part of Kane's history pervades the entire book and is recalled often. Each time, a little more is revealed about Kane and Dennis Harvey, his old partner, and the dynamic that existed between them. Flashbacks are a vital part of Grist's storytelling style, and are used well. In many other works the sheer amount of them would seem overbearing and exposition-heavy. But so little of KANE is clearly delineated in any case that here, the flashbacks are a welcome (and never wasted) opportunity to fill in the history surrounding Kane, the city, and his 'replacement' partner, Kate Felix. Felix is, in a nod to buddy-movie tradition, Kane's opposite in almost every respect. She is optimistic, impetuous, rebellious and talkative. Of course, they do have one abiding interest on which they agree: seeing justice done. There is an important distinction to make here - neither Kane nor Felix appear to care too much about 'upholding the law' in the strictest sense of the word. Indeed, from what we see of New Eden, it becomes apparent that officers who hold the latter ideal in too high a regard would buckle under the weight of problems within the city. (Such a case is actually dealt with in the second collection, but is therefore beyond the scope of this review). To these characters, 'justice' is a stronger word than 'law.' The book features a large cast of supporting characters, enough to cause initial confusion on the reader's part. Perseverance is paid off, however, both in how these characters intersect with the main stories and in the occasional display of humanity, which Grist always handles quickly and powerfully. The 'baby hostage' is of course only one tale. Each chapter in the book contains a complete story, a format that Grist would later abandon in favour of multi-chapter story arcs. I must stress that this cannot be attributed to any failure on his part: these are textbook examples of compelling short pieces, each one whole within itself but also part of a larger narrative. Which brings us to Grist's storytelling, and some comparisons. Aesthetically, the art in KANE may not be to everyone's liking. Grist makes use of a strong line, largely geometric forms and heavy, stark contrast between black and white. A panel from KANE, taken on its own, is not likely to win any awards, but the panels together, on the page and as part of the story, are beautiful. Grist is one of the strongest pure storytellers working in comics; in a similar manner to artists such as Alex Toth, Steve Dillon and D'Israeli, Grist is more interested in the design, shapes and form of the page than in pseudo-photorealism. The complete lack of greys in this black-and-white work, and the fearsome shadows thrown by much of the environment, serve to focus the reader's attention where it is required without distraction. Reading this book afresh in the present day will draw inevitable comparisons with the much younger POWERS (Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming). The art is, as stated before, geometric in nature, though not quite so heavily 'angled' as Oeming's. The dialogue is realistic and conversational, with frequent interruptions, dangling sentences and multiple simultaneous conversations (devices that have become Bendis' hallmark). The dynamic of a world-weary male cop forcibly partnered with a brash, idealistic female cop is hardly exclusive to either book, but still; the comparison is there. However, I conclude that this is a good thing. I suspect there isn't much cross over between the audiences of both books, and yet there really should be. Though ostensibly different in content, tone and style, they both succeed on the same levels and for the same reasons: They're great cop stories. Though nearly ten years old, KANE: WELCOME TO NEW EDEN never feels out of time or place, and it may yet take the mainstream another ten years just to catch up with the narrative skill shown here. Like INVISIBLES or WHITEOUT, KANE is one of those rare comics destined to be appreciated by the masses long after its initial release. There are currently four KANE books available: WELCOME TO NEW EDEN, RABBIT HUNT, HISTORIES and THIRTY-NINTH. KANE is not finished by any means, but its schedule is erratic, and it has never been blessed with a high profile. If you're looking for a cop story with a heart, not to mention an example of comics at their best, I highly recommend you seek out KANE. Antony Johnston is the author of JULIUS, SPOOKED and THE LONG HAUL. His new ongoing series WASTELAND begins in July 2006. 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