Psychosis

Issues 1-3

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the future, the story opens up with a prologue set in the year 2107. We see a man and woman laying a baby infront of a door of someone's home and leaving as the baby is taken care of by Mama Martina. Little is explained why this occurs but the opening leaves more questions than answers. Such as "how did it come to this?", "why was the baby left there?". The prologue is vague but brilliantly illustrated, with a compelling narrative that really sets the tone to this grounded and gritty reality.

Fast forwarding to the year 2134, we're thrown straight into the deep end as we witness a masked individual (Victor, A.K.A Psychosis) going on a rescue mission. He's clearly not alone as he's got somebody on his comms guiding him. We also understand that he is a character who is not afraid to kill. Armed with a sword and throwing knives, our protagonist climbs through an air vent and enters the building in classic stealth fashion.

The drawings for this scene are very well illustrated in relation to the character's surroundings and particularly the fight scene against a brute named Brick. Each shot has been carefully thought through by artist David Coates, who makes it very clear to see exactly what is happening in immense detail. As the mission proceeds, our hero rescues a group of children who are being experimented upon for their gifts and their torturers soon meet a merciless justice by the hands of our bladed hero. As Psychosis attempts to escape with the children, he is once again confronted by Brick and the first issue ends with a strong message that results from collateral damage.

The second issue begins with a funeral service and we very cleverly see flashbacks that relate to the mysterious Victor and a glimpse at his origin. But what this book does so well, is tease the reader with mere glimpses of how Victor became the skilled warrior he is and it does it without providing an overwhelming origin story.

It's a pleasure to only briefly discover how Victor became the way he is and how he got his name. Writer, Adam Atkinson avoids an elaborate twisting tale and gives it to the reader straight without any hidden meaning. The story continues back at base where we discover that Psychosis has a team of people who help him on his missions including his sensei and trainer, Master Li. The master is also telepathic and is able to read Victor's mind and can hear and speak to Victor's darker half who often takes over our hero's body to do the things Victor can't (such as killing).

This added a very interesting and dynamic edge to the character. We often see heroes who doubt themselves or hesitate but to have a character that is conflicted due to a psychological condition really gives Victor another dimension. Now we're not only seeing a hero who's trying to do right by his friends but do right by himself and as Master Li points out: "To continue your journey, it will take both of you working in unison.", something which is considered an impossible task for Victor.

In issue 3, we see one of the children, Logan, who has the ability to transform into any animal he desires, join Psychosis on the next mission. He is accompanied by Sarah who has the gift to sense when people are nearby, presumably a form of telepathy. Despite Victor stating they were too young for such a mission, the children felt compelled to join after the way they were treated due to human experimentation. The trio fight through a group of thugs when suddenly a rocket launcher is brought in by one of the antagonists. Logan manages to get Psychosis out of the way and takes the impact, finishing the issue on a cliffhanger as to whether or not Logan's animal form was enough to save him.

After reading this book (a few times by the way), I was blown away by these 3 issues and as every good book should do, it left me wanting more. The structure to the issues are textbook and each issue manages to press forward with the story at great pace, whilst simultaneously jumping back with the use of flashbacks. The writer's technique to flashing back only when it's relevant is a testament to great story telling and narrative and the plot wasn't overwhelming by any stretch.

Reverting back to the artwork, David Coates' illustrations throughout are a pleasure to view and he has captured the essence of what makes a comic book so interesting to read. The fight scenes, which hold the right balance of action and gore, are beautifully drawn making each sequence easy to follow. The stunning visuals for Psychosis really elevate the presentation of the story and I'm giving this 4 out of 5. Fantastic read, compelling story and great visuals.

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