Christos Gage (Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit, Numb3rs), hot off the heals of the comic prequel Dante’s Inferno, dabbles in the crime genre to bring us “Area 10,” a well-crafted page-turner that is nearly ripe for the big screen. The newest from the Vertigo Crime titles, Area 10 introduces ‘Henry the Eighth,’ the moniker given to a sadistic killer who decapitates his victims for his own purposes.
On the case, Detective Adam Kamen is drawn into Henry’s scheme after an injury to his skull awakens untapped mental abilities. The novel’s title refers to Brodmann’s Area 10, neurological parlance used to distinguish different parts of the brain. Brodmann’s Area 10 is associated with the forebrain, but here, breaching this area gives access to the pineal gland, or the ‘third-eye.’ Metaphysically, constraints of time and space are loosened and new planes of perception are unlocked. Trepanation, a real procedure used alternately to save lives in medicine and for more dubious motives (drilling holes in the skull to free hidden functions of the brain), is linked to the murders and becomes the thread that leads Detective Kamen to ‘Henry.’
Gage gives strong individual voices to the characters, though not all the subplots are neatly linked. Kamen’s psychological back story is pretty disconcerting, but a bit forced. The character needed some instability that would make readers suspicious of the hero in a crime story. Though this subplot managed to do that initially, it never becomes fully resolved. You wonder how Kamen’s failed marriage resulted in his involvement with the Henry the Eighth case and what it might mean for his budding relationship with his psychiatrist, Dr. Eileen Avery. The closing chapter suggests that not all may be idyllic when it is said and done.
Should this ever make it to the silver screen, the manner in which Det. Kamen gets embroiled in Henry’s plot needs to be fleshed out further with some additional hints. Add cuts of Henry performing the grisly ritual with his victims or insights into Det. Kamen’s psych profile, and the connections might become tighter.
Chris Samnee provides the art in “Area 10.” Realistic renditions, the emotional range on the faces of the characters are broad, and good tension builds over the pages. Though the story is told in black and white, blood and body parts remain vivid. The art allows the imagination to add as much drama as needed (or tolerated).
The future is not bleak for this crime novel that gets into your head and doesn’t let go. “Area 10″ has a Criminal Minds-Lovecraftian tone, blending criminology and gumshoe grit with meta-psychological complexity and gruesomeness. Some images are graphic but would make for some really stunning cinematic moments. As the story unfolded, the movie version of this plays out naturally; a screenplay ready for a Mark Ruffalo-type to step into. (Zodiac, anyone?) Gage uses familiar genre tools expertly, but the real whammy was the killer’s modus operandi, trepanation. You can find out more about this insane procedure from the documentary: “A Hole In The Head.”
Title: Area 10Written by: Christos Gage
Illustrated by:Chris Samnee
Cover by:Lee Bermejo
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: April 7, 2010 (Comic Stores) / April 13, 2010 (Book Stores)
Story: 8/10
Art: 7/10
Cover: 8/10
Overall Rating 7.5/10
I wish I could get an advance copy! I’ve always been a huge vertigo fan. I just don’t like plain superheroes. I picked up identity something a year ago because my brother kept talking about it. It was a superhero soap opera. Who cares who is married to who. The background story was the best part of the story. they should have explored that more.