Graphic Content: Stillwater by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón Pérez

 

Immortality can sound tempting for those of us who feel like there’s simply not enough time. Imagine having literally all the time in the world to travel anywhere you wanted to go or fully complete that Great American Novel that’s been eluding you. Any fan of vampire fiction knows that immortality comes with a price (namely, watching everything and everyone you love die) but more original is the idea that immortality itself is the horror. The comic series Stillwater does a lot with this very premise.

The book begins with Daniel, a young man who lets his temper get him into trouble. He suddenly receives a letter telling him of an inheritance that just happens to be in the titular town of Stillwater. Daniel not only discovers the immortality that occurs within its borders; he also discovers the various factions that are vying for control of the town. Daniel is soon drawn into this intrigue and finds out that there are so many things that are worse than dying.

Writer Chip Zdarsky (“Sex Criminals”) gives a very unique take on a town where citizens can walk off gunshots and falls from tall buildings, the aftereffects gloriously depicted by artist Ramón Pérez. Such a concept (people who will heal from literally anything and time literally standing still for its residents) might seem like it would actually kill any dramatic tension, but Zdarsky makes it work by focusing on townspeople who want to determine who deserves to gain the mystical benefits of Stillwater and who deserves to be free of it. Much like modern vampire depictions, the people in Stillwater do not age, and that includes their children. People familiar with Interview with the Vampire and young Claudia will find similar characters among Stillwater’s children, who have been unable to physically become adults, even though many are chronologically old enough to rent cars. The conflict that drives this story is the various factions that are looking to control the town, including a sadistic deputy who kills to keep Stillwater’s secrets and a judge who has also made himself the de facto lawmaker.

The most intriguing parts of this story, though, are the ramifications of a town full of reluctant immortals. How do you police a town whose residents can sit in jail knowing their time will be but a fraction of their lifespan? How readily will citizens resort to violence when that violence’s lasting effects are healed only a short time later? Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 explore these ideas, but what actually makes the town’s residents immortal should be explored in later volumes. Here’s hoping that the creators realize the readers of this series do not necessarily have the patience of someone who cannot die, and keep the story going.