Review - Memory Collectors #1

"It is said the best place to hide something is in plain sight."

IDW Publishing is big on offering books that are a little more thought-provoking than some of the other fare on shelves today. One of the latest books in that repertoire is Memory Collectors #1.

The work is written and illustrated by menton3.

Edith, Beatrice and Magdalena are three jaded fetish models unexpectedly thrown into a violent world and made to confront a horrible and unperceived truth: Hidden among us are entities that feed on the very thing we hold most sacred, our memories. No longer content with their lives as hunted cattle, they become the hunters. And boy, do they do their job with rather brutal efficiency.

Memory Collectors #1 is very dark and rather depressing in a sense. While the trio of heroines are efficient, they approach life with a rather morbid approach to their brutality. There's an added layer of fear relying on their opponents, all of whom are worthy opponents who tap into something dark. menton3 taps into a collective attachment we depend on for memories, using their importance as an impetus for fighting the Memory Collectors. It's a rather chilling philosophical approach that gets the reader thinking about their memories and what they really mean in the grand scheme of things.

Equally as dark as the story is the art. menton3 illustrates a very dark landscape littered with evil and bad actions, both of which carry the story. There are some pages where the art is extremely dark, which doesn't help with seeing the action. Still, the art is very powerful and effectively conveys the shadowy decisions the trio are mired in. Many of the pages could double as pin-ups though; a testament to the ability of menton3 to create a gloomy world rife with necessary violence.

Memory Collectors #1 is a rather insightful work that trades in some of the more depressing tones of Edgar Allen Poe as opposed to the gore that some other writers and artists rely on to get across similar themes. Memories are of extreme importance to all of us and menton3 really takes an interesting view of them. Edith, Beatrice and Magdalena are effectively introduced to new readers and demonstrate a healthy (unhealthy?) commitment to the task at hand. It's a book that sort of thinks outside the box so to speak when it comes to comic books and it a pretty interesting read if you're looking for something slightly different.

Memory Collectors #1 is in stores today with interiors below.