cover image The Secret Land

The Secret Land

Christofer Emgård and Tomás Aira. Dark Horse, $19.99 trade paper (120p) ISBN 978-1-5067-1659-6

This conspiracy theory–inspired cosmic horror story from Emgård (the Hyper Scape series) and Aira (the War Stories series), set at the close of WWII, overflows with gratuitous violence and clumsy narrative intrusion. Ben is a special forces frogman in the Pacific theater and Katherine is a spy infiltrating a secret Antarctic Nazi base following Germany’s surrender. Their matching seashell necklaces apparently mean they share a telepathic connection. Though Ben is told Katherine has died, he suspects otherwise and soon heads to Antarctica to recover her. The over-narrated, overwrought rescue adventure that unfolds, hinging on the theory of a Nazi superweapon, incorporates horror elements and requires a nearly impossible suspension of disbelief. The excesses include a character pulling out his eyes with skewers, fan-service nudity, and an absurd monstrous reveal that’s unintentionally humorous over horrific. While the art handles mechanized warfare reasonably well, it can’t keep characters’ faces distinctive, and long-distance shots can get equally confusing. This one’s just not a keeper. (Feb.)