Script by Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Goldman. Adapted and illustrated by Karl Stevens. Published by Titan Comics.
I was sceptical when Mother Nature was announced. Some scepticism is only natural for a graphic novel based on an unproduced screenplay by Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis and screenwriter Russell Goldman. In this situation, more often than not, comics become the dumping ground for unproduced scrips with the hope that its success will greenlight the movie into production. While this appears to be the case, with the cover claiming it will soon be a major motion picture, I gave Mother Nature a shot upon seeing positive buzz. I’m happy to write that it’s worth the read.
Mother Nature is an eco-horror set in a small American town that revolves around the resources industry. Everyone here either works at Cobalt Industries or is connected to someone who is. At first, this involved mining uranium, followed by oil. In more recent years, the company, headed by the founder’s daughter, has pivoted to trying to fix the environmental issues it caused with the town’s water. However, not everyone sees it as a noble cause, with one woman sworn to get her revenge on the corporation after witnessing her father’s grewsome death through their oil operations as a teenager. Her quest for sabotage and vandalism will see her discover the truth and awaken something special in her.
The graphic novel broadcasts its two primary themes through its title – motherhood and environmentalism. Motherhood is explored through two mother-daughter relationships. The first one readers are introduced to is strained due to a traumatic (and outlandish) accident in the opening pages. The other is a close-knit, brought closer by illness. Through this, Curtis and Goldman use Mother Nature to discuss how family relationships are defined by events. In the graphic novel’s case, these can be the matter-of-fact small things like watching Tokyo Drift in bed together or fighting a sinister oil company.
Mother Nature’s environmentalism themes are clear to the reader as an eco-horror. However, it goes much further than the “oil company is bad” story that’s on the surface. It’s at its most interesting when it intersects with motherhood. Here the comic uses the mother-daughter relationships to show how precious nature is and how it’s worth fighting for so it’s there for future generations. Curtis and Goldman’s script makes it clear that’s what they’re communicating but does it in a way that doesn’t feel like the reader is being preached to.
In fact, the comic’s script is not overly talky. There are long stretches of silence where scenes can unfold with minimal or no dialogue. This is where artist Karl Stevens shines, letting the imagery do the talking. The direct aftermath of the first freak accident is a solid example of this. Stevens focuses on facial expressions, zooming onto a character’s face, sometimes just their eyes, as they react to the gore. Much of the rigidity of the panel layouts is lost in that moment, with rough borders and asymmetrical panels taking over. It’s a show, don’t tell approach lifted by an experienced storyteller, something that’s essential to translate a screenplay into a comic successfully.
Karl Steven’s art style is informed by realism through an alternative cartooning lens. He draws the characters and environments using narrow lines with a natural looseness. These are accompanied by hatching and cross-hatching that add depth to the form, shadow, and the occasional texture. This is then washed with watercolours that bring rich colours, especially in lush environments. At first glance, Steven’s might seem like an odd choice for a horror graphic novel, with a style that suits the autobiographical and gag strips of their back catalogue. However, it works well as Stevens captures the small details in expressions that might get lost with an artist with a more stylised approach. Being steeped in realism means that when that unnatural appears that it feels out of this world, jarring with the comic’s reality and more frightful or wonderous.
The realism of Steven’s style doesn’t stop him from using the various tools of comics at his disposal, with lettering being a great example of this. Instead of being a layer over the top of the art like many modern comics, it’s baked into the art and takes on physical qualities. In one early example, Stevens creates an ominous rumble. It’s elongated, and stretched out to show it’s a long and enduring sound. The block letters are made up of shaking lines that hug to the ground, telling the reader that it’s not just a sound but also communicates that the surface below the character’s feet is unsteady.
Mother Nature has many fantastical elements, but they aren’t what make the graphic novel a horror story. Those would be the freak accidents akin to the Final Destination film franchise. Some of these are mundane things taken to the extreme. Others are more elaborate – like being crushed by a section of an oil well. Stevens doesn’t shy from the gruesome elements and shows the bloody aftermath. It’s something that’s bound to please horror fans. However, these might not be everyone’s cup of tea – especially if you’re coming to Mother Nature as a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis’ work through films such as True Lies or Freaky Friday.
It’s easy to be sceptical about a graphic novel co-written by a celebrity. However, Mother Nature rises above other projects of this ilk thanks to solid theme exploration, Karl Stevens’ storytelling abilities, ad elaborate accidents throughout. If you’re partial to horror or perhaps a fan of the Scream Queen, then you’ll want to check it out.
Mother Nature is available at all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon/Kindle.
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