An accomplished science-fantasy fable fit for all ages, Once Our Land showcases Peter Ricq’s spot-on visual storytelling and cutting edge sense of style.
Last Friday saw the launch of Peter Ricq’s debut graphic novel Once Our Land at a gallery show in Vancouver that featured artwork from the book, as well as from a horde of illustrators who inspired its creation. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because Ricq is something of a new millennial renaissance man: a successful musician (in the bands Humans and Gang Signs), visual artist, and animator (The League of Super Evil).
His first foray into the realm of self-published graphic storytelling is an accomplished all-ages sci-fi fable that showcases an impeccable eye for design and a deep appreciation and understanding of the medium.
Set in a small German city in the mid-1800s, the plot is a sterling example of tight, focused storytelling and follows an unlikely pair of survivors trying to stay alive after an insidious otherworldly invasion depopulates the world in record time.
Infused with a strong, uncompromising artistic vision, Once Our Land’s origin as a graphic short story is evident in its two-part structure. The first chapter introduces the premise succinctly and with style, but would have felt unfinished if left on its own. Ricq’s return to the material some years later dovetails very nicely with his first chapter; the lapse in time between each installment’s completion doesn’t show in either story or art.
With a background in animation, Ricq’s visual storytelling leans towards the cinematic but never loses sight of comics’ unique vocab. He excels at establishing a scene, but his true strength may be in noting the passage of time through the manipulation of panel size and placement. Considering how important the concept of time is to his story, Ricq’s intuitive understanding of pacing serves him well.
That animation background is also evident in his production designs. The main protagonists, Fritz and Ingrid are fully-realized characters and the setting of Mainz comes alive with its jumbled roofs, narrow, winding streets, and distinctly German architecture.
My only caveat with the book is that it feels like a one-off project. I’m afraid that Ricq, with all of his other pursuits, won’t have the time or the inclination to follow up with Fritz and Ingrid. If the ending of the book is anything to go by, both of these endearing, tenacious survivors have many more adventures ahead of them.
Peter Ricq (W), Peter Ricq with Sunny Shah (A) • League Productions – Check out onceourland.com for ordering information.
