Bramble: Book 1 – Electric Roots

By Jean-David Morvan, Nesmo, Lindsay Marie King

“Captain Mornieres here!! Don’t do anything!! I’ve…I’ve got it from here!”

Captain Mornieres isn’t living the best life, well, unless he’s at work and deep into a case. At home, life seems to be falling into shambles, but at work he is able to shine as a police investigator. Yeah, he’s got a bum partner, but what great investigator doesn’t? Oh, some have good ones? Hmm, okay, well this one is different then.

In the story Bramble: Book 1 – Electric Roots by Jean-David Morvan (and translated by Lindsay Marie King) we’re first cast off into woods with a rather large man sitting in a tree enjoying the good life, but what’s that in the distance? A city! So the big lug heads to the bright lights and that’s where the story really starts to take off.

Captain Mornieres ends up investigating the murder of an elderly woman – who did it? Has living in the woods had any effect on this big stranger? Morvan’s story takes a fantasy type twist whenever we’re shown how the big guy from the woods views this new world. In the city nothing looks as it did in the forest; the world is foreign and terrifying. This is something artist Nesmo has a lot of fun with throughout the story. We’re given crazy visuals and highly detailed looks at how normal people look to the big stranger. You might have a nice haircut and new pants on, but to him you probably have tentacles coming out of your eyes and a streetlight sticking out your forehead (Sound awesome? Yeah…it is).

Running with the idea of forest/city is where some of Nesmo’s play with the art is really apparent. When we’re first shown the forest it’s lush, green, blue skies, and we see the city off in the distance almost looking as if it’s on fire. Soon the large man starts heading towards the city, and when he finally reaches it the place looks packed, and everything is soaked in red and brown colors and smokes lingers among everything– this shows off the difference in setting nicely.

Jean-David Morvan and Nesmo have together crafted an imaginative tale, which certainly takes a dark turn rather quickly. Captain Mornieres has found a passion in life in which he pursues with all his heart, and lives a life outside of work that leaves a heavy impact on the reader. The mysterious man from the woods has entered a new world, and seeing the way he views it might even leave the reader with some chills!