The Abaddon

If Dante had conceived of his inferno as a nightmarish tour of apartment flats, he would have ended up writing this graphic novel. Taking its name from the Hebrew word for a place of destruction, this hardcover collection of the mystery webcomic from Shadmi (Profile 107) tells the story of Ter, a man lost in an apartment complex from which escape seems impossible. Ter doesn’t quite know how he ended up there, but he knows there might well be a connection to his recurring dreams about his time serving as a marine. He finds himself surrounded by oddballs who think his efforts to escape the Abaddon are futile. Shadmi’s fresh treatment of the trope of a character trying to come to terms with who, what, and where he is makes for an engrossing narrative. The art is a standout, the dull gray-green color palette conveying Ter’s surreal world while making his escape seem visually impossible. A taut exploration of urban anxiety, beautifully drawn. (Nov.)