Silence

In this adroitly drawn but narratively bland manga-styled action-fantasy from Vorniére, his English-language debut, monsters roam a world of endless night, only attacking if they hear a loud noise. A young man named Saber tends to the children in a tiny settlement inside an old church. The inhabitants communicate in (cleverly depicted) sign language, and only some of the men are allowed to venture out to fish and trap game. They invite Saber on his first foray, but when he glimpses a mysterious humanoid figure, he’s startled into an exhalation, causing a fiery boar-monster to attack and seriously injure his mentor. Saber secretly ventures out again to try and make things right, and the figure reveals herself to be the mystical Lune, who hails from the mountaintop settlement of High-Fort. She shows Saber how to harness the monsters’ powers by cooking their organs into a stew. Saber jumps at the chance to help save his people, but their journey to High-Fort is complicated not just by what lurks in the shadows but by his community’s fear of the unknown. Vorniere’s creative monster designs (inspired by French folklore) and dynamic fight sequences are more impressive than his characters, which fit standard fantasy tropes. The art, however, is savvy enough to bring manga fans back for a second installment. Here’s hoping the sequel turns up the volume. (Jan.)