What lurks in the sewers beneath our feet?
When it came to reading Sarah Peploe and Fraser Campbell’s The Berg I was heavily reminded of my first experience with John Carpenters 1982 movie, The Thing.
Taking inspiration from Carpenter, Peploe and Campbell have created a character-driven horror who’s cast members and atmosphere ramps the tension more than the adversary they face. It’s a dark and moody horror that certainly remains fresh in the memory once you’ve reached it’s nauseating conclusion.
So, what’s it’s all about?
Set on the streets of London, The Berg follows two groups of individuals who’s fate soon become entwined due to the horror lurking below their feet. A massive fat berg has clogged up a sewer system underneath a residential street and a team of sanitary technicians have been drafted in to clear the blockage. As the team descend into the dank waterways of Victorian London they soon start experiencing strange phenomena. Long lost memories soon bubble to the surface, and the shadows begin to take the form of long lost relatives, and painful past events. Could it just be the darkness playing tricks? Or is there something more sinister hiding in the dark?
It’s not long before things go all “Blair Witch” as the teams technology begins to fail, and they start to be consumed by their insecurities. As this horror heightens, we then meet the monsterous mound of waste. And the rest? Well you’ll just have to pledge to the Kickstarter to find out!
What makes The Berg such a phenomenal read is that it’s characters are as much of a threat as the thing thats stalking them. As we journey towards the inevitable, Peploe and Campbell start to prod and poke at the seams of their characters mental state in a way that make the reader start to question wether there is in fact a monster or not. This is helped along by the strong characterisation of this group of average joes, with each encounter feeling unique and very real. For example, two of the team are brothers who have a past experience which has resulted in quite a long grudge, while another has insecurities about her elderly Father. It’s these “real world” issue that help to build the atmosphere as well as bridge that all important gap between the reader and the characters themselves.
Continuing this trend is the superb art work from Gavin Mitchell that helps to set the tone and atmosphere, but also that creeping dread that summer underneath both the streets and the narrative. Mitchell utilises the cramped, claustrophobic space of the sewers in a way that makes the reader just as trapped as the characters. There’s plenty of narrow focus that doesn’t allow your eyes to wander - which means your solely focused on what action Peploe and Campbell want you to witness. Colour work is also of a high calibre, with the eerie illumination from the fat berg lighting up the darkness. Letterer, Colin Bell also dips his toes in the proverbial mess with a great use of font that really helps the story along within its closing act.
All in all, The Berg is one comic I’d highly recommend everyone read. From its simple opening, to its mind blowing conclusion, Sarah Peploe, Fraser Campbell, Gavin Mitchell, and Colin Bell have crafted a unique spin on a character driven horror. With plenty of room to potentially expand on this one-shot, I’m hoping we do see more of this gruesome tale.
There’s still time to pledge towards The Berg, and you can do so by visiting the campaign page here.
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev, and TikTok @Geekculturereviews.
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