Ripperland #1

Recap
The year is 2188 and Jack the Ripper has returned to London. For the last century, a shattered post-Brexit England has operated as a massive Victorian theme park in exchange for American military and financial protection.
But when an American mogul’s grandson is killed in the heart of London, the delicate status quo is threatened. Is the killer a brilliant maniac? Americans taking advantage of their superior technology? Or the English Underground Resistance, wishing to throw off the yoke of American oppression and re-join the modern world? American Special Agent Jesse Holden and local British Police Detective Edwin Fogg must overcome their clashing ideologies in order to find the truth in the foggy streets of 22nd Century London.
Review
Past meets present in Ripperland #1 and it doesn’t even require a time machine. This new series drops an anachronistic Victorian era island in an otherwise near future world. It’s the setting for both a murder mystery and a political commentary. But as interesting as that sounds, this first issue doesn’t quite balance its various disparate ideas.
England is a protectorate of the United States in Ripperland #1, and the entire country is a Victorian era theme park. The heir to a massive American media empire is vacationing in London when he’s killed, seemingly by a Jack the Ripper copycat. Now it’s up to the awkward and antagonistic pair of Victorian era detective Edwin Fogg and modern American investigator Jesse Holden to solve the case.
Ripperland #1 tries to serve several masters. At its most basic, it’s the first issue of a series and thus is the beginning of a story. That story involves a great deal of world building. And part of that world building is a heavy commentary on Brexit, England, and the United States. While there is a foundation for these elements to gel as the series goes on, here they stumble over each other and hurt the issue’s pacing. Ripperland #1 never really develops gripping tension or anticipation.
Particularly harmful to Ripperland #1’s narrative flow is the world building exposition dump that happens immediately following the revelation that a grizzly murder has occurred. The opening pages generate curiosity about this anachronistic Victorian era setting. The murder starts to build tension. Unfortunately the following scene slows the issue to a crawl as one character tells another character (who clearly already knows all of this information) the entire backstory of England’s post Brexit circumstances and current relationship to the United States. The information is delivered over the course of one very verbose page. Not only is the delivery inelegant for storytelling purposes (both text and visual), but it’s also clumsy in delivery, beginning with, “We all know the score…” The extended monologue provides the reader with relevant information, but it sticks out like a sore thumb because it’s a very unnatural, detailed conversation between two people who already have all of the information being shared.
The issue does pick up as it enters its final few pages. A modern detective has to work with an anachronistic one. The murder appears tied to the political themes that it appears the series is going to comment on. But it’s an uneven road to get to that point, and in a way the issue has to restart itself almost ? of the way through in order to rebuild tension and mystery.
Oliveri creates a somewhat exaggerated but not over the environment in Ripperland #1, especially in London. Clothing is fuller and seems to poof about the characters. Buildings are large, and in some panels where the perspective aims upward toward the sky, they curve inward. These choices create both a larger than life environment, which works for what is essentially an amusement park, as well as an occasional sense of isolation and foreboding.
Characters are likewise exaggerated at times, especially when it comes to facial expressions. There is never any subtlety when it comes to conveying emotions. Oliveri highlights characters’ expressions with sharp angles for cheekbones, and eyes and mouths are often drawn wide.
These style choices add a measure of fun to Ripperland #1, but they reduce any tension the story builds up.
Vivaldi’s color palette is a good match for Oliveri’s style. Daytime settings are rich and bright. And though the surroundings are darker at night, characters are always presented in high contrast with the rich colors of their clothing never lost to shadow. Like the artwork, the colors feel exaggerated but not excessively so.
Amelia’s choices for dialogue bubbles and caption box placement is effective, particularly doing the heavily expositive sequences. Details in Oliveri’s art never feel distracted from or obscured.
Final Thoughts
It’s difficult to tell what is most important in this first issue–the murder mystery, the political commentary, or the character conflict. A large part of this owes to the troubled pacing. Ultimately, there are the makings of a clever story in Ripperland #1, but they remain disparate, never blending into a cohesive experience.
Ripperland #1: A Collection of Ideas
- Writing - 5.5/105.5/10
- Storyline - 6/106/10
- Art - 7.5/107.5/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 7.5/107.5/10