Nature’s Labyrinth from Mad Cave Studios is a visually stimulating series while leaving readers in plenty of suspense. But what’s the binding idea of this whole thing?
So… What’s Nature’s Labyrinth?
This series dives into the death games sub-genre of thrillers. You know the suspenseful kind of stories full of vulnerable people needing to turn their lives around. Or at least show cleverness in how much they want to survive. From the personal levels of Saw, the societal degree in The Hunger Games, to the economic Squid Games. So what did Zac Thompson make so special about this game?
Honestly not much… most of the characters feel more like plot devices. There’s our designated hero J. Roe (The Shield), a paranoid “Terror”, two creepy guys, two creepier women, and a drunk kill fodder. In the early issues, readers just don’t have any reason to care about these characters. Not helping is how most of them are unpredictable killers. At best there’s a CIA agent ready to take out the game’s organizer Ahab.
Speaking of, he really isn’t that interesting after all of that build up. Ahab’s a dull jingoist meant to evoke right-wing militia leaders and flag waving influencers. Plus he and his wife are abusive to their deformed son Billy. These are not characters, they’re hate sinks.
Beating The Plot Into Shape
Nature’s Labyrinth has a lot of potential with the surprises that match the plot beats. Like when Part 4 starts, Thompson puts in a reintroduction to the plot in juxtaposition of new contestants coming in. It’s a clever surprise for the rare reader who started at this point, as well as a reminder that there is a structure to all of the insanity.
But there are also times when these surprises might’ve been handled better. Like the suspenseful anticipation of an attack from behind by Ahab while the capable J. Doe is intoxicated by spores. Meanwhile Billy’s screams gets Ahab to back off to run to his son’s defense. But here’s the problem, J. Doe actually fights Ahab before Billy screams, taking the initial suspense away.
Each of these surprises stick with readers, especially when they reread it. They’re not only memorable, but they have this flowing effect. It gives readers a rush of dopamine when a big action scene unfolds.
Lose Yourself In A Visual Maze
Which brings us to the real appeal of Nature’s Labyrinth, the art by Bayleigh Underwood… with colors by Warnia Sahadewa. Having read Thompson’s work on Ka-Zar, Relay, and No One’s Rose I’m familiar with his style. He prefers to let his artists tantalize the reader with amazing detail. This is definitely no exception, Underwood’s art tells the story in its own right.
It’s especially in terms of imagery and panel work. Some of the early pages foreshadow what the cast is about to get into; maze-designed carpets make it look like they’re already trapped. In scenes full of even bigger backgrounds, the actual maze looks like it goes on forever. It makes the characters feel insignificant.
Then there’re the panels, the lack of backgrounds in a few of them really show the dedication to actions. That’s not even including the shifting panel shapes that grab readers attention in conjunction with body language.
In fact one of the most creative uses of page layouts comes in a turning point. “The Terror” Nasir is trying to help one of his two group mates with her arm stuck in a wall. The panels with Nasir in are evenly structured unlike the two women who start with a shorter panel. But when Rus Wooton’s lettering show the Silence and Kiss acting strangely, their panels distort and overlap Nasir’s. Then the next page opens with a suspenseful presence of the two women speaking simultaneously. Until finally, the walls rush open as Nasir falls into an open hole as he’s consumed by the darkness at the bottom of the page.
Go Further Into Nature’s Labyrinth
Nature’s Labyrinth‘s best features are its phenomenal artwork and non-stop surprises. But after the dopamine wears off, there are only a few novelties. The plot has a decent structure, especially in its big swings near the end. But it’s as bland as the characters are. So this series gets 7/10.
