Drops

Writer: Matthew Cooper, Art/Letters: Connor Montgomery.

A sinister government facility. Sadistic scientists have a man tied to a chair. Mind altering experiments are taking place and the latest victim is strapped down to a chair. Left for dead, he launches an audacious bid for freedom.

Drops is a psychological horror that does not hold back with the gore. I must confess I would normally avoid anything in the torture-horror vein and if you are feeling queesy you might want to skip some of the panels in Drops.

The book is set amidst a nightmarish environment where heads float in jars and victims languish in padded cells and what I hope are corpses are dissected. This horror is amplified by the seemingly official nature of the institution. Shadowy bureaucrats lurk in the background. 

We have some hints as to the nature of the authorities. Slogans on the wall ‘Be Free, Be Happy, Believe’ echo those of the fascist government in V for Vendetta. Exactly who they are or what they want is not clear and the reader is left with plenty to wonder about. 

Visually, Drops is also interesting. Artist Connor Montgomery works in black and white, the stark tones giving a good sense of the clinical nature of the establishment. There are some really interesting panels where the helter-skelter chaos of the unfortunate victims’ minds are echoed in a sinister maze and vertiginous stairway.

If you like anti-authoritarian drama in the style of The Prisoner or you enjoy no-holds barred horror like Red Room or Crossed you should get a kick out of Drops. I’m definitely interested to see where this one is going.

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Drops is funding now on Kickstarter.

Matthew Cooper can be found on Twitter and Instagram  @nichi_ei

Connor Montgomery can also be found there  @con_art94