VERGE #1 – Review

In VERGE #1, available from Red 5 Comics on September 29th, 2021, two NYC detectives track down a murderer in a city overrun with time-displaced refugees.

The Details

• Written By: Bryce McLellan
• Art By: Sylvio dB
• Colors By: Louie Joyce
• Letters By: Sean Rinehart
• Cover Art By: Dexter Wee
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: September 29, 2021

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Was It Good?

Well, now you have my attention. This first issue was a pleasant surprise.

Time travel stories tend to fall into a small set of typical tropes. It’s either a villain heading into the past to make a selfish change or a protagonist heading into the past for some benign reason only to make a mess that screws up the timeline.

The first positive of this book is the completely fresh take on time travel. The basic premise surrounds a time rift, called The Verge, that expelled vast quantities of people all across history into present-day New York. The idea automatically triggers a whole host of story ideas and curiosity questions. How do you maintain law and order? How does a Japanese shogun from feudal Japan deal with traffic? How does a Viking comprehend the concept of television? An incredibly fertile sandbox is opened with this single premise.

On top of the intriguing premise is a well-written mystery. A murderer is on the loose, and NYC detectives are on the trail. Complicating matters further is the over-arching mystery of who or what is responsible for The Verge and the hint that the murders are connected to the time event.

There’s so much going on, but it never feels confusing or convoluted. The one, minor down point is the lack of a clear introduction for the main protagonists. You have to figure the story out as you go, and it’s fairly easy to do, but it would have helped to have a little introduction scene, in the beginning, to get their names down.

The art by Sylvio dB is fairly good. There are a few panels (only a few) that look a little sketchy but the character designs are excellent. The distinctions between characters across a literal history of humanity feel authentic enough to suspend disbelief, and the action scenes are grounded and impactful.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a Viking warrior exacting bloody vengeance in response to an old grudge. When the deed is done, he’s arrested by NYC police for the murder. Right away, we experience a culture clash of the highest order. Back at the police station, Detective Connie Liu and her partner Detective Lucy (something???) show off their savvy by getting the Viking to confess.

Later, the detectives are tasked with taking Ravi Burns on a ride-along as a favor to the Police Commissioner. Ravi’s introduction helps as a reader surrogate to give the detectives an excuse to explain what’s going on around the city.

During the ride-along, Det. Liu gets a tip from one of her regular informants that something fishy is going on down at the docks. When the detectives move to investigate, they find several bodies of feudal Japanese warriors and a symbol painted on the floor, indicating a tag of a local Viking gang. Before backup arrives, Detective Lucy is shot with an arrow and Detective Liu chases after the assassin.

We conclude the issue with a deadly fight down on the docks, Detective Liu waking up in the presence of a very wanted man, and a closer look at The Verge.

Final Thoughts

VERGE #1 is a fresh take on the time travel genre by bringing the mountain to you instead of you taking a trip to the mountain. The premise is unexpectedly original and immediately triggers fun curiosity questions, backed up with a well-written murder mystery. I like where this story is going, and I’m interested to see where the creators go next.

Score: 8.5/10