Against the Tide

Drops Issue 2

Matthew Cooper and Connor Montgomery

I covered the first issue of Drops a while back. Now writer Matthew Cooper and artist Connor Montgomery are continuing the story with a second issue.

Dystopian doesn’t really begin to describe the type of society described in Drops. Not just a fascist police state, but also a satanic occult conspiracy. Dog headed torturers and goons in flak jackets execute a reign of terror and horror. Our protagonist faces the worst they have to offer and bides his time ready to fight back.

Two panels. The first shows a liquid pouring from a bottle and the test "All this pain". The second shows a person being waterboarded with the text "All this suffering. All because you refuse to cooperate." — Panels from Drops issue 2

The horrors they face are all too real of course. From Belfast to Abu Ghraib the horrifying torture of prisoners stalks human history. The book draws on that contrast between the darkest instincts of human nature and the eternal willingness of humanity to resist the darkness. As the Soviet writer Vasily Grossman wrote “Human history is not the battle of good struggling to overcome evil. It is a battle fought by a great evil, struggling to crush a small kernel of human kindness. But if what is human in human beings has not been destroyed even now, then evil will never conquer.”

An elegant mansion with roses in the gardens. Inset panels show a woman falling to her presumed death. — Panel from Drops issue 2

The plot is taut and moves along at a brisk pace. It is well served by the structure of the book and the effective use of panels. I was particularly impressed by one page showing a fall from a great height. During the book we begin to learn more about the central character and his motivations. A rebel taking aim against powerful forces, seemingly with little success.

Connor Montgomery’s art impresses. Stark, black and white it seems drained of hope, bleak and dreadful – exactly the mood the story requires. Drops continues to be a fascinating and unusual book. Don’t miss out on the chance to back the Kickstarter.

Drops issue 2 is funding now on Kickstarter.