By Svetlana Fedotov
European comics are a bit of a mystery lot. Whilst there is plenty of American and Japanese work for fans to pick through, those across the pond are having a hard time breaking into the US comic scene. For every Tin-Tin and 2000 AD that does breach the bloated shores of comic fandom, there are dozens of equally interesting, detailed, and mind-blowing works that we never even hear of. Luckily, indie companies such as Humanoids give us a chance to see what other parts of the world consider to be print worthy. Sanctum, originally a French work published in 2001, brings to life the depths of the ocean and the evil that lurks within all humans and, thanks to Humanoids, invites a whole new group of people to experience its terror.
Sanctum revolves around a crew of Navy men on the USS Nebraska, the biggest, bitchen’st, toughest submarine this side of the military industrial complex. Sent on a mission to the deepest pits of the ocean to look out for Syrian rebels, they instead find the faint heartbeat of a sunken submarine, one that appears to be long dead. Even stranger is its graveyard; a large, cave-like structure surrounded by the statues of dead gods and forgotten monsters. Suddenly, a lust for violence spreads through the crew like a terminal disease and bodies begin dropping one by one. Running out of options and stranded in the deepest part of the ocean, the USS Nebraska has only option: to go into the caves.
The book is a bit of a hit and miss, but is strong where it’s supposed to be: in unrelenting Lovecraftian horror. The overall message of a lurking terror deep under the waters was carried beautifully though the book with a nice reveal pace, as the crew begins digging up clues about their surroundings. It honestly reads like a slow burning movie, letting the crew’s own paranoia push the momentum than over the top gore or blood. Whilst definitely text heavy, it flows very naturally and is a solid introduction to the overall style of European comics. There’s a lot more dialogue than commonly seen in American comics, but it’s not so overwhelming as to take away from the overall work.
The only real complaint was there is no real lead character. It starts off focusing on the captain and then sort of deteriorates into incorporating the whole crew. Usually, it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but every character had the same, basic personality and the personalities weren’t even that interesting. I had no real sympathy for anyone and felt like I was watching a blob of humans slowly drown in mediocrity and bad decisions. The art by Christophe Bec is solid overall, but has that same damn problem that haunts small press comics: blobby inking. Floating or stiff facial features litter an otherwise solid work. Regardless of the finer details however, Sanctum holds up pretty well and translates beautifully into the English language. Definitely check it out.