Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 Review
Writers: Chris Condon & Tim Seeley
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Publisher: Oni Press
Issue Description: 32 Pages, Full Color
Price: $5.99 US
Release Date: November 11, 2026
Words can calm. Or they can kill. But the most dangerous of
all are the words we want to hear. Morris Graves knows all about that. As a
lobbyist, he spends his life calming people's fears. He believes he helps
improve their lives. But when he gives them what they want, people die. And the
longer they listen to him, the worse the world gets.
Morris enjoys a comfortable lifestyle by helping people
prosper. But what price might he pay for steering society in an unhealthy
direction? And who else will this special issue introduce us to? Let’s leap
into Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 and see!
Story
Morris Graves has spent his life explaining how life works.
So when an interviewer talks about society's dreamers, Morris shuts her down in
"Just Another Memory." Humanity’s essential need drives them to
consume. It’s hard enough to secure the life you want and get through each day.
In Chris Condon’s story, Morris wants to make things easy for everyone. But
even if Humanity won’t strive for greatness, life has a way of surprising us.
In “A Crossroads Repetition,” Professor Ben Richmond
lectures about the nature of Hell. As he delves into historical literature and
mythology, Chris Condon ponders who created Hell and the Devil. Yet, our lives
are made up of choices. And choices are powerful things. They can change the
world around us. In Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1, our choices
reshape reality, often in unpredictable ways.
Ezra Hallum dreamed of becoming a storyteller. Yet after his
first novel, repeating his literary successes grew increasingly difficult. In
"Writer's Block," Tim Seeley shows how creativity's enormous demands have
drained Ezra's creative juices. So, Ezra draws on his genre's tropes to create
his next literary masterpiece.
After tackling society's contemporary problems, Artists from
the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 looks back to an earlier era. "Death And
Pickaxes" recalls an age when Humanity shared the Earth with other
intelligent species. Instead of technology, magic shaped people's lives. Yet
people still needed others to help them. And as Chris Condon points out, caring
for others takes a toll on your emotional health.
Art
Straight lines and rectangles define Morris Graves’s world in
“Just Another Memory.” Morris smiles as the interviewer leans toward him and
glares. Yet despite the comforts of his ordered existence, his modern house and
furnishings cannot protect him from the natural world's unpredictability.
While Morris greets the world in a suit, unbuttoned shirt,
and gold chain necklace, Ben Richards wears a suit and tie as he faces his
audience in the darkened auditorium. Saul Henry watches the images Ben conjures
on his glowing screen. In "A Crossroads Repetition," a piece of
wrapped candy symbolizes one man's moment of contemplation. When a photograph
of a smiling man recalls memories, a diagram reveals the intersections between
our lives.
Tattoos adorn his arms. Cover art from his novels hangs on
Ezra’s walls. As he types away on his laptop, he uses a hammer to construct his
next story in Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1. As in “A Crossroad
Repetition,” a loaded palette enriches Ezra’s world. Yet like Saul Henry’s
contemplations, a limited palette adorns Ezra’s furious search for inspiration in
“Writer’s Block.”
Vibrant pastels adorn “Death And Pickaxes.” As a dwarf regards
the princess’s smile, he frowns when he studies the world around him. No matter
how green and idyllic, life aboveground hasn't delivered what he desired. So, as
red once again seeks to right the scales, blue clothing emphasizes the dwarf's
mood.
Amid this quartet of tragedy, uppercase letters fill
dialogue balloons. Thoughts, off-camera dialogue, and the narrator’s words fill
colored narrative boxes. Sound effects accompany protagonists’ attempts to
retake control of their lives and the world’s response to their efforts. Yet
music notes also help a protagonist see the world from a new angle. Thanks to
Oni Press and EC Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Life rarely goes our way when we take the easy path. As a
new story leads this band of reprints toward uncertain futures, the characters
wrestle with their responsibility to others while striving for the lives they
desire. Mythology, fantasy, urban legends, and ecological concerns haunt the
pages of Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1.
Rating 9.8/10
For another collectible cover, see Artists from the Abyss: Charlie Adlard #1 Cover Preview.
