If you really want to know how I feel about this collected series from Penny Farthing Press all you need do is read my quote on the back cover from a review of one of the included issues. It reads, “Everything down to the colors and letters is fine tuned and Pablo's pencils are terrific. I have yet to see a bad comic from PFP and this one is among the best.”

In 1983 there was a massive disaster at the National Super Collider Project killing many gifted scientists including Dr. William Erie. Now his daughter, Sara, has convinced his best friend, Dr. Jonas Anderson, to let her go with his team back into the site of the underground disaster to try and determine what happened. Along with them are FBI special agent Donna Sanchez and grad student Roger Max. They set off to explore the 28 miles of tunnels in search of an answer. What they find may pose more questions. For example what is the meaning of the frog frozen in some crystalline substance - frogs Sara saw in her dreams?

Then there is the large word " PARA " painted on one wall and all over other parts of the tunnel. As the find Dr. Erie's radiation badge Sara also gets a look at what may be a supernatural presence. Certainly this is more than they planned for and they need to get more help to figure out what it all means. There is another person behind the scenes that remains a mystery for now as to his involvement.

A really good mystery will get you going on one track and then throw a curve another way. And just when you think you have a handle on things, bang another curve! That is how I felt after reading part two of this series. So, trying to figure out where Stuart is going with all this is a fun exercise. The team is going back down and bringing a paranormal expert with them this time. They learn that the previous workers, nineteen years ago, where further along than anyone thought but they may not be able to learn much more. They theorize based on what they see that a door was opened, perhaps to another world or dimension - but what if anything came through? And is the door still open? Can her father and the others be somewhere, still alive? This was a series that grows on you. The first chapter is interesting enough and then you get into the second and things start happening and more mysteries present themselves. So on to number three and the middle of the story builds the intensity and suspense so you are hooked.

The plot unfolds and gets clearer with each chapter. Like all the comics from Penny Farthing Press you can expect the best production values in every aspect. The art is flawless page to page. The build to the climax is exciting and intriguing. The ability of Stuart Moore to weave a tight plot became evident with each issue until the series ends in fitting fashion.

Some of the story is told in text and even correspondence. But, when the art is needed it is strong. Zumel has a nice style and the rest of the PFP team finish it with great care. I read this first as a comic mini-series. It did not grab me at first, but I was curious how it would go. By the second issue I was hooked. This reads even better now that it is in a collected trade. Well worth it either way. As with all the books from Penny Farthing Press it doesn't get much better than this.

Writing Rating: (9/10) Artistic Rating: (9.5/10) Overall Rating: (9/10)

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