Underground
Jeff Parker, writer; Steve Lieber, illustrator; Ron Chan, colorist
Oni Press, 2021
I overlooked this when it was first published in 2010 by Image Comics, so I am glad that Oni Press reprinted it so I could catch up with it. The story stars Wesley Fischer, a Park Ranger and avid caver who is on a one-woman crusade to to stop Stillwater Cave from being turned into a tourist attraction. Others share her respect for the cave's natural beauty, but the local area is so desperate for economic development that everything else takes a back seat.
The biggest local businessman is spearheading the effort to increase the tourist trade, and when he hires some local crooks to set off charges in the cave to prepare the way for future cave tours things quickly spiral out of control. Wes and a fellow ranger go the cave to investigate and find themselves running for their lives through the cave, pursued by desperate crooks willing to do anything to cover up what they have done and who they work for.
It is a real thrill ride, illustrated with Lieber's usual panache. Chan's colors are especially striking, varying between bright technicolor in the outside scenes and dramatic monochrome in the cave (with artificial lights like flashlights and headlamps the only light sources). The collection also includes Lieber's black and white short story "Fell" which introduced the character of Wesley Fisher, a cover gallery of the original single issues, Parker's essay about the genesis of the series, and a brief process piece showing how a page came together.
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I really like that book. I found a copy of the original trade at a con a few years back, and I couldn't put it down. It's a terrific story.