5 out of 5

The Concrete collection, issued in the same size as the Usagi Yojimbo set of trades, shares some similarities with that series: Incredibly skilled creators, working mostly solo and mostly only on their main creations, toiling away and expanding their worlds in story after story for years.  Both are fascinating, and enriching, and intelligent in their own ways.  Both are excellent.

Every time I’d read an issue or excerpt from Chadwick’s Concrete, I knew I wanted more.  Finally nabbing the first volume of the collection (with more to come, of course!), I was not disappointed, on any of its 200 pages or 10 stories.

The concept of Concrete is simple, but – like Resident Alien, like Usagi – it’s the simple concepts that are hard to pull off sometimes, as the tendency is to develop more and more mythology and twists and turns when sometimes all you need is a smart creator and good idea.  Ron, political speech writer, goes on a camping trip with his friend and becomes interested to explore a remote cave when he sees a light flashing from within.  The source of the light turns out to be something quite alien, and indeed, when Ron wakes up with his brain transplanted into a concrete body, the perpetrators are aliens after all.  Where did they come from?  Why did they do it?  …And maybe this is explored in further volumes, but Chadwick instead focuses on the more practical questions like What Next?  What would one do if one had to live in such a body?  What would Paul do?  Thankfully for us, he seems to be a curious type, and would take to seeing what the limitations of the body are – how long it can go without food or air, for example – as well as being an admirer of adventurers like Richard Burton, and so seeing this change as an opportunity to pursue things he’d otherwise never would have had the chance to.  Thus is Concrete the initial mini-series (and collection of one-shots in DHP, all part of this volume) both light-hearted in tone as well as deeply contemplative, as Ron / Paul sinks into his head often, seeing the world and humanity and himself from a new perspective.  And there’s the satisfaction of Chadwick not avoiding thoughts on sex or alienation; he just chooses to ruminate and not dwell as concrete explores new caves, ocean depths, and keeps himself funded via odd jobs like birthday parties and bodyguard.  The philosophy is kept far from indulgent or eye-rolling by a sly sense of humor rippling throughout.  It also helps that Chadwick is an excellent draftsman, composing always interesting pages and panels and giving his characters definition through both script and visuals.  Occasionally he over-reaches with his compositions, but it’s a rare misfire; for a book that’s lacking in typical action, it’s a treat – and exciting – just flipping through the art.

Mind you, this is apparent from any story from this collection, or any glimpse you’ve seen of Concrete elsewhere.  If you’ve enjoyed those glimpses, then I can sincerely promise that you’ll be in the same boat as me: fully pleased by my purchase of this trade – which is affordable, well-designed and packaged – and eager to read more.