This was an interesting one – not exactly what I expected. From the description, the art, especially the Tula Lotay covers, and some parts of the first issue, I assumed this was going to be some sort of erotic thriller ala Fatal Attractions or Body Heat. But as the story went on, it became more of a standard mystery story, though still a solid one.
I also get the vibe that this was an ongoing series that was quickly turned into a mini-series due to low sales. Certain plot elements seemed to come out of nowhere and everything got resolved remarkably fast. This is not meant as an insult to the book – pretty much every Vertigo book besides American Vampire at this point was getting that treatment.
- The comic features a number of strong female characters, including Rosheen and her boss, Captain May. How are these characters portrayed and how do they challenge traditional gender roles?
To be clear, May was the one that was shot in the first issue, right? She really didn’t get to do much in this story – another reason why I think this series was cut off shortly after starting.
They had an interesting hook at the start – it’s very rare you see women firefighters in these kinds of stories, if not in real life. Overall I think they handled that well and is a bit of a challenge to traditional gender roles. I can see a more critical perspective that they kind of replace one traditional gender role for one that is quickly becoming a traditional gender role; the Vasquez from Aliens type, the tough as nails, take no crap, one of the boys but still sexy sort of character. I think there’s enough in Rosheen to say she’s not just that and there is some depth to her, but I also feel like there wasn’t enough time in these issues to really dig into that.
- The comic addresses several social issues, including mental health, addiction, and sexuality. How are these themes portrayed and how do they contribute to the overall story?
Honestly, it kind of feels shoved in to be titillating more often than not. Looking up pyromania on Wikipedia (I know, big expert, right?), I see that pyromania can be linked to arousal, but it mostly just comes out in erotic descriptions in her thought boxes and occasionally burning scraps of paper for gratification. I’m not sure if this is something that was going to be explored more but was cut for time or content, of it it was just there to make things more interesting.
- The artwork in Slash and Burn is distinctive and stylized, with a focus on bold colors and shapes. How does the artwork contribute to the mood and tone of the story?
It does the job – I agree the colors definitely help, especially how it uses warm/cool coloring and the washed out color with bright fire during the flashbacks.
- What do you think fire represents throughout the story?
Desire, passion, destruction, and in certain extreme cases, justice.
- “Slash and burn” refers to a farming technique where land is cleared by cutting down and burning trees. How does this metaphorical meaning tie into the story and its themes?
While not exactly the same, I think the Mayor’s obsession with fracking, which often involves cutting down trees, kind of feeds into the theme of the story, where he’s turning the town into an almost literal powder keg.
