Incarnate #1 is the first issue of one of Radical Comics' newest releases, a horrific modern fantasy. It's written and penciled by Nick Simmons and published by Radical as a slim 52-page graphic album.

The Story

It's the modern day and something ancient has woken. Its name is Mot and it's a natural born killer. It calls itself a "revenant", but if it is a vampire, a god, or a demon, we don't really know by the end of this first book. There are other revenants too, and it's obvious that over the centuries they've made a name for themselves, for they have an enemy.

The enemy is called Sanctum. Shortly after Mot has woken in the modern day--feeling that something is different--he learns that the Sanctum has finally come up with a way to kill him and his kind.

Mot doesn't believe it, however. He's lived for too long to suspect that a change like this could occur, but after a battle full of violence, blood, and gore, he learns that ... the rumors may just be right.

The Storytelling

Incarnate is very much an American child of manga. Not just the art (which I'll get too shortly), but also the storytelling fits straight into that genre of comics.

As with much manga, this one depends upon a careful combination of humor and action. Being a horror book, Incarnate also is happy to include graphic violence in its repertoire. Incarnate #1 combines these techniques well. Though it's just Nick Simmons' second work (following a short story in 2007's Gene Simmons House of Horrors), he comes across as an experienced professional in the manga genre.

Is there a lot of depth here? Not really, but I wouldn't expect it from the genre. Is there an interesting story and well-plotted action that keeps you breathlessly reading through the book? Definitely.

The Artwork

Besides writing Incarnate, Nick Simmons also pencils it (with inking by Matt Dalton and coloring by Brian Buccellato).

Just as with the story, Simmons offers up artwork that is straight out of the manga genre. And, once again, he carries it off well. He keeps action scenes vibrant and exciting and portrays characters using the various short-hands and stylizations that you'd expect of the genre. Again, I'm impressed that this appears to be one of his first professional works.

The artwork isn't as complex or as deep as is the case with most of Radical's other books. In particular, I'll note that backgrounds and foregrounds alike are mostly untextured, with just scant lines and shadows defining the characters and the sets. But, this is again pretty usual for the manga genre, just a departure from most of Radical's other work.

Overall, I find Incarnate interesting and colorful. It's a very nice example of American manga done right. I've given it a "good" rating of "7" out of "10", and could easily see that rating rise if the complete story is as good in conclusion as this volume is in starting.

Conclusion

Incarnate #1 is a new story of modern fantasy and horror by Nick Simmons. It's pure manga, a genre which Simmons conforms to almost effortlessly, though this is one of his first professional publications.