Septic Isle Broken Britain

Septic Isle

Written by Andy Winter, art by Mick Trimble,

Cover by Declan Shalvey

I came to know about this original Graphic Novel in muck the same way that I first heard of Zombies and Wolfmen, and that was via a post card sent to me though the post with a picture of the cover, a blurb, and most importantly a line number to order it, and order it I did, retailers can be such lazy gits, but in all fairness when you are working a busy shop and it seems like you are working a twenty five hour day, then any and all help is appreciated.

But enough of that. This home grown effort (South End on Sea) deserves a mention, and is just the sort of thing I like to stock, its British, its original, and its under a fiver,

so is it any good then?

Lets take a trip in to Broken Britain and the Septic Isle and find out. The first thing that strikes you is that cover, it’s a very simple but very powerful image, the cover makes you want to pick it up, Brilliant in concept and execution.

Once you have picked it up you are immediately pulled in by the black and white artwork which is not brilliant but more than adequate.

Eagle Award winning writer Andy Winters scripts this book which we are told tells an action packed adventure set in post 7/7 Britain.

So is it ANY good then?

Ok I am getting to it, patience dear boy, patience.

It’s a type of Spy, Mi5 Agent comes out of retirement to seek some solace after losing a daughter in the 7/7 bombings, not a bad idea even if it does reek of a certain agent whose number also ends in 7, but that’s where the similarities end, well almost.

Seems that a rouge agent has teamed up with the extreme right and is suicide bombing Mosques using Muslims whose children have been kidnapped to do the deed or else little Mohamindus head will be sent to them via royal mail without the body as to save on postage.

Extreme ? Yes just a bit, but I suspect that the dedication on the inside page has something to do with this.

Mr retired agent and side kick American home land security task force Maggie Firestone join forces to seek and destroy this rouge element.

Now don’t get me wrong, its not that I don’t like this story, its not badly written or illustrated, and in a era that hate rules the roast I am surprised that Mosques haven’t been targeted by the far right.

Its just that I feel that this is just too obvious, having said that, it has some really good twists and turns in the plot, and some bad ones, (yes the retired agent gets to do it with the American agent who is half his age…Yawn)

Septic Isle is a good worth reading graphic novel if taken at face value and as just a story, however, in the wrong hands it could almost be a recruitment pamphlet for the extreme right. Will I be recommending this in my shop? Na, sorry, its not that its bad, its just that I fear certain people will like it for the wrong reasons.

And I have had enough of that kind of crap to last me a lifetime.

Over all 5/10.