Book Review of Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld and Alex Puvilland

Spill Zone is the first in a new series of graphic novels from :01 written by Scott Westerfield and illustrated by Alex Puvilland. They tell the story of sisters Addison and Lexa, who live in Poughkeepsie, New York three years after an event known only as "the spill," which changed things forever and unleashed unnamed and unnatural creatures within their hometown, which is now quarantined from the rest of the world. Older sister Addison enters the forbidden Spill Zone on her bike whenever possible to capture the resultant horrors on film and sell her photographs to support herself and her sister. Younger sister Lexa appears to suffer from PTSD and selective mutism due to the trauma of having witnessed the spill. Though the cover captures how badass Addison looks on her bike, camera at the ready, I feel the monster in the background is a colossal fail. (Those shown within the book are far more terrifying, and this guy on the cover is a joke by comparison.)

Aspects I enjoyed of the writing within Spill Zone are the relationship between the two sisters, how simultaneously empathetic and mysterious Lexa's character is, and how well Westerfield depicted Addison's toughness and yet set up her younger sister to be her soft spot. I also love the trope when a character routinely enters a dangerous situation and sets rules for him or herself at the beginning of a story because, as a reader, I know that the second that experienced character breaks his or her own rules is the second shit gets real, and Spill Zone is no exception!

Puvilland did something I haven't seen used effectively in graphic novels much before: he imbued the scenes within the spill zone itself with beautiful pastel colors and some bright neon tones, and illustrated those taking place outside the zone (in Addison and Lexa's home, for instance) with dark, muted, shadowy colors). In addition to showing a powerful visual contrast between the two settings and moods, this unorthodox choice also set my teeth on edge when Addison was inside the spill zone with her camera. Somehow, the bright, pretty colors in such a ghastly setting made it feel more wrong and haunted, and I found myself holding my breath until she exited, even if she encountered nothing beyond a few off-kilter rats because of the hues Puvilland used. They turned my senses to overdrive and told me to pay extra attention. Conversely, the bruise-like palette he selected for the outside-the-zone scenes felt relaxing and almost comforting by comparison--not an association a reader would typically make with maroons, greens, yellows, and grays.

However, there was one storytelling choice which played out both visually and in the narrative that aggressively did not work for me, and that's what they did with Vespertine, Lexa's possessed-looking Raggedy Anne-style doll, pictured on the cover. *Spoiler alert.* From what I understand after reading Volume 1, Addison takes Vespertine into the spill zone each time she goes at Lexa's behest, and that "recharges" the doll, who then talks, which is seemingly only able to be heard by Lexa. Vespertine's dialogue is displayed in jaggedy white text on a black background, which is extremely difficult to read at times (this added a high level of frustration to my reading experience). Also, Vespertine has a huge attitude problem, and seems to hate Addison for no discernable reason, but Lexa seems to think sending Vespertine along with Addison into the spill zone on her photo-taking trips protects her older sister somehow. This was confusing: am I supposed to think Lexa doesn't understand Vespertine seems to have it out for Addison, or am I supposed to wonder if Lexa actually has it out for Addison, as well? Either way, it did less to build intrigue than it did to mount confusion, and I felt like that was bred out of lazy writing with this aspect of the story. Also, the possessed doll trope is tired and has been done to death, so if it is going to feel new and different, it should be done better, not just be presented in a more confusing way. Confusion does not equal creepy, it equals frustrating.

Ultimately, I'd recommend Spill Zone to readers who were fans of Dark Angel, because, as I read scenes of Addison tooling around on her bike, deftly navigating a post-apocalyptic city, that's what I was reminded of. I'd also suggest it for those readers who enjoy stories of older siblings taking care of younger ones in tough times, and for people who can't get enough of nuclear accident-type narratives (like Chernobyl) and their Sci Fi counterparts. As we don't know at the conclusion of Volume 1 exactly what has caused the spill, I can't be more specific about that last category. I wouldn't recommend it for people who like possessed doll stories, because I think that entire thread of the plot was the weakest part of the whole book. For graphic novel fans who are looking for strong artwork and beautiful colors with interesting choices that really support powerful storytelling, Spill Zone is highly recommended. I'm excited to see where this series goes with its continuation in Volume 2. Volume 1 comes out May 2nd, but you can preorder it now.