Mad Cave’s Sanction is a pretty compelling mystery about how the Soviet Union likes to keep secrets. Through two detectives on a murder case, readers witness the Union’s different sides: one for its ideals and the other its realities.
Mad Cave’s Sanction on the Union
It’s no secret that the Soviets were a major power, going through an industrial revolution at a breakneck pace. But there were just as many secrets that the Soviets tried to hide like famines, massacres, and bio-weapons. Any critics were silenced or seen as public enemies, often hiding the truth through any means necessary.
Ray Fawkes uses these two clashing sides of the Soviets through detectives Pavel Smirnoff and Boris Dimitrovich. Pavel is a decorated cop with a chip on his shoulder who solves cases quickly. But he acts high and mighty so readers instinctively don’t like him. They’re more than willing to follow his partner Boris who is willing to put in the work to solve cases with quality. Despite his record of unsolved cases, he isn’t stupid since he knows the KGB are acting on this case. It looks like that’s going to cause trouble down the line, mostly on these partner’s dynamic.
This set up shows a compelling display about what the Soviet Union actually is against what everyone raised on it were led to believe. All without being preachy and giving it a layman’s approach by focusing on its effects rather than who’s in the right.
Some Vodka For The Cold
Antonio Fuso makes the city of Leningrad look overcrowded with its architecture, cars, but no sign of life. With newspapers and garbage flying everywhere, the former capital of Russia feels like a trophy collecting dust.
The most notable scenes are when there are empty spaces to mark important shifts, often the arrival of the detectives. Compared to the cold and dull looking colors of the city, Emilio Lecce at least makes Boris stand out in his black parka. Out of everybody there, he stands out the most, just as much as what he finds under a red shoe as the panels shift around like a puzzle. That evokes the feeling that this isn’t as open and shut as the case starts out. Almost like the city killed the murder victim.
Mad Cave’s Sanction Is No Threat To You
Mad Cave’s Sanction is a compelling clash between harsh reality and hard truths. In a time of secrets and living up to ideals, the effects of both get a digestible direction. Like a perfectly made cocktail that isn’t too strong and subtle enough to get a feel for what’s on the horizon. For now, this gets 8.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.