If you like: American Gods, comic books, graphic novels, The Bridge.
I hope this gets to you in time, but it may be too late already.
There will be no trade paperback release of Barrier. The limited series came out as five issues in comic book form, so hunt the racks now. Because this series is worth it.
Maybe I’m cynical, maybe I’m jealous, but I could not imagine Brian K. Vaughn would turn out another must-read story. Saga and Paper Girls are still in production, for crying out loud.
It helps that the original story was a digital miniseries from 2015, published on Panel Syndicate. The illustrations are by Marcos Martin and coloring by Munsta Vicente.
The work, though, saw coming America’s current boiling point over immigration.
Plot twists are still Vaughn’s stock in trade, which is why I’m trying to fill space without actually telling you the plot.
Just know that it’s about two people who speak different languages, and they only have each other to depend on in an impossible, mind-bending situation.
If you can’t read English or you can’t read Spanish, it doesn’t always matter. From the illustrations by Martin and Vicente, intent is always clear, whether it’s comfort or menace. Human is human, after all.
And our protagonists have some bigger barriers than spoken language to overcome.
The comic’s transition from online to print is noticeable -- it was obviously drawn in a way to be scrolled down a computer screen. But that style also gives it a refreshing approach to print. Sometimes publishers forget paper doesn’t have some kind of gravitational pull that requires us to flip a page from right to left.
Barrier is to be read with the spine of the book at the top, creating a horizontal window. This gives the illustrations a more sweeping, cinematic feel.
While colorists don’t always get their due in the comic book world, Vicente should get a special shout-out for this one. In an interview, Vaughn talks about his disagreements with the illustrator, until Vicente comes in and makes it better than either of them imagined. Even as a lay person, I can see the life given to each page by the coloring.
Barrier might not have won an Eisner (maybe they’re just tired of giving them out to Vaughn) but it’s got to be one of the strongest comics this year.
Be forewarned, this is an M-rated title, with HBO-level blood and gore.
'Barrier' by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente; Image Comics; 2018.
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