Clare’s Comics Catalogue – Coronary
Well that was the most alliterative title for one of these so far eh? Welcome back to the catalogue, this week I’m taking a look at the current kickstarter looking to fund issue 2 of Coronary.
Plastic Surgery; Fashionable, free of charge. Romeo and Juliet meets Black Mirror in a comic where nothing is sacred.
Coronary is set in a future London where plastic surgery is free and everyone feels the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards. Given our current obsessions with Instagram and Snapchat filters and with apps like Tinder focusing on style over substance it’s certainly a timely comic. Below is the synopsis for issue 2:
London has lost its way. Dominated by surgeons, lifestyle coaches and pill-pushers, the bastions of love and morality have collapsed. As the fabric of society unfolds, an unsettled businessman reconsiders his life. A young protestor challenges him behaviour, hopefully before it is much too late.
Following the events of Coronary: Episode One, Justin must come to terms with his demons. And these have the law to their back. Yet, there is a stronger player than the police at the table, and she has yet to show her hand. Luna must decide to either help, or let the charges land dead upon him.
Coronary is an ongoing comic series, with Episode Two debuting September 1st. We follow the exploits of a man now in chains, calling out into the darkness. And there are those that will answer.
The Story
The first issue offers up snatches of plot which I assume (hope) will be expanded on as the series progresses. Writer Ryan Burke says that Coronary will be a 12 issue series (and eventual collected graphic novel) so there is a lot of room to develop. In issue 1 we met Justin, the CEO of BeautX, one of the pill pushers and a total sleazebag if first impressions are to be believed. Seems like one of the drugs his company produces is causing people to drop dead. Funnily enough that has put him in the cross hairs of one tenacious police detective.
Now, unless I am very much mistaken, and I read issue 2 a couple of times to be sure, either Luna is a new character we haven’t met yet OR she is the unnamed woman Justin met on the tube platform at the start of issue 1. This was the one issue I found with Coronary, it jumps about a little too much to be entirely coherent. I felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of something without all the details. Enough plot teases are dropped though to make you want to carry on into issue 2 but I did feel I wanted a little more information, especially as to who people are.
The Art
The art does a pretty great job of filling in the gaps in some places. I spent a good deal of time exploring the first page, with its posters for BeautX and the graffiti. Can’t remember the last time I saw a rubbish bin on a tube station platform though. Perhaps in the future setting of Coronary there are fewer security concerns. There are some beautiful pages in issue 1 that really let the art draw you in. There is clearly a lot going on with the young woman on the platform at the start. The first three pages after she appears are silent, and yet I found myself wanting to know who she was, what’s going on with the ring she is holding? And that’s one reason I will be picking up issue 2.
I also love the stylistic twist of the cover of each issue copying the style of a different kind of glossy magazine cover. Issue 1 looks to be inspired by all those beauty/fashion mags (appropriate). Issue 2 is more your celeb gossip type affair, blazoned as it is with “Full Arrest Report Inside”. It’s a clever hook, and I’ll be paying attention to future issues to see how the theme continues.
The Kickstarter
The kickstarter has just over 70 hours left to run and is sitting a smidgen over 90% funded. There are PLENTY of options to suit all budgets, from digital only up to signed copies of both issues. Higher level tiers include prints, sticker packs and custom artwork from series artist Joel Saavedra as well as the chance for your likeness to feature in future issues.
