Devlin Waugh: Swimming in Blood

 

Devlin Waugh: Swimming in Blood

Pages: 224 - Paperback

 

ISBN: 1904235170

 

Writer: John Smith

 

Artists: Sean Phillips & Others

“The name's Waugh. Devlin Waugh. I'm here to steal the show.”

Devlin Waugh is one of the most quotable characters in all of comicdom. Quite an achievement considering how little has been written about him since his initial creation and rise to fame. He first appeared in Judge Dredd Megazine Vol. 2, # 1, in 1992, which I very clearly remember reading very shortly after it hit the stands. Swimming in Blood, the first story arc for this character, shone from that first issue and the subsequent 10 or so instalments were an absolute joy to read. In the annual 2000 AD poll of that year Waugh was voted by readers as their favourite character. The one and only time that anyone other than the Man Himself, Dredd, has been knocked from the top spot. High accolades indeed.

Swimming in Blood is a bloody, fantastic read. It is in fact bloody fantastic. The basic premise is an underwater penal colony is hit with a vampiric viral outbreak, the prison is quarantined and the Vatican send in their man Waugh, expert exorcist and practitioner of underhand fisticuffs to sort the rotters out. The result is a claustrophobic, survival horror masterpiece, with added bottom slaps.

It really shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does. Waugh is Noel Coward’s mind in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body. I could talk about Devlin forever, but I’m going to leave it at that because if you’re reading him for the first time, I don’t want to take anything away from the experience. The story races along like a 21^st Century zombie, shifting effortlessly from farce to face ripping without stumbling once. A seamless blending of art and narrative that is impossible to disentangle, exactly as good comic book storytelling should be. Phillips uses photographic images in a few panels, which I would usually not welcome, but in this instance, they are used sparingly and specifically only in reference to the “outside world” ie. anything not taking place inside the prison. The effect is a subtle reminder to the reader that what is taking place inside the prison is far from the normal experience for most of the protagonists.

All of this leads us to a satisfying, if very slightly rushed, climax. Which changes our Hero absolutely and yet not at all.

But. The above review only deals with “Swimming In Blood”, the first part of this collection, approximately one third of the page count. The remainder collects "Brief Encounter", "Fetish", "A Mouthful of Dust", "A Love Like Blood" and "Body and Soul". The last two being illustrated text pieces.

I’m sorry to say that the Halcyon Days of Devlin Waugh have so far only been seen in his first outing. The remaining stories in this volume are mediocre, with varying degrees of exposure to Waugh. In “Fetish” for example, Waugh’s introduction to the story takes place roughly half way through the page count and frankly, it feels like an after-thought.

However, I have no intention of dwelling on the negatives of this volume because they are so outweighed by the positives. The “Swimming in Blood” story is a fine addition to any collection, a truly brilliant modern comic and if you happen to get a bit of mediocrity with it, consider it as a freebie.

So, keep your dander up and prepare yourself for a trouncing.

Recommended,

Mad Thinker.