Photos courtesy of Image Comics
If art does indeed imitate life, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that today’s comic books feature oil-suckers alongside blood-suckers. Image Comics, the Portland-based publisher behind hit titles including The Walking Dead and Saga, touts its Dark Fang volumes as its “ecological action series.”
Dark Fang’s ocean setting is a veritable wonderland for monsters. It is also pristine, a refuge away from the chaos of human interaction. In the third installment, Valla (un)lives it up under the sea, cavorting with jellyfish and fighting with colossal squids, until an oil spill wipes out the only place she dared to call home. The oil is a menace harmful to everything it touches—even to Valla, who can crush iPhones in the palm of her hand, or turn into a bat or a shark whenever the mood strikes. Unable to stanch the seep, she emerges from the sea to find out why humans destroy so unremorsefully.
Once comfortable navigating the depraved landscape of human existence, Valla starts hunting down the oil barons and government officials responsible for the spill—who are somehow connected to some strange Knights Templar-like characters—to exact her revenge, but not before noticing a black stain slowly making its way up one of her fangs. The origins of the stain are unknown for now (Is it tainted blood? Is it oil?), but its presence, of course, gives the series its title.
Throughout Dark Fang’s five volumes, endangered and extraordinary species play an important role. Valla’s bestie during sea life is a great white shark. She wears a magical dress that makes her appear not unlike an endangered Portuguese man o’ war. A pair of white lions make an appearance, and Valla briefly takes the form of a polar bear. The animals act as representations for her rage, and her empathy toward the natural world.
Shannon’s artwork is the standout element of Dark Fang, mixing ethereal waterscapes with some excellent, frenetic-feeling action sequences that are reminiscent of beloved superheroes and classic monster comics from childhood.
It should come as no surprise that a series with so acute a political message would come out of Image Comics. The publishing house launched in 1992, expressly as an avenue through which illustrators and creators could keep copyrights to their character brainchildren. Beyond making artists happy, Image has since found widespread success by helping to fuel our cultural fascination with zombies (via The Walking Dead) and finding character-driven epics that delve into the troubles of childrearing during a galactic war with Saga.
And perhaps, if the world is ready, Image Comics is poised to further discussions around climate change—and how to act on it—with Dark Fang.
Carly Nairn is a 2018 Sierra Editorial Fellow.
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