This week, BOOM! Studios releases the penultimate issue of the sci-fi noir Lotus Land. The very slow burn – created by writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and artist Caio Filipe – has drawn its mystery out about as long as possible. That doesn’t change much in this issue. But at the very least, by the end, everything is set up for a revealing finale.
As hinted at throughout the series, the premise of Lotus Land revolves around the question, “What price for immortality?” Both the art and the story have made us wary about the enigmatic medical company, Evermore, and their technology that grants the future citizens of Vancouver eternal life. Intuitively, we know something so amazing can only come at a cost. At least a partial answer comes in this issue.
When considering the art in Lotus Land #5, I was somehow drawn to faces. Bennie’s face is stoic, even when beaten up and bruised – until it turns angry and violent in the final scene. His ally in the police force looks annoyed and suspicious. The police chief’s expression is hard, calm and calculating. Bennie’s son continues to be an emotionless question mark. Bennie’s ex-wife smiles as she spends a quiet moment with the son she left behind. And the look on the face of Evermore’s founder and CEO, Mr. Heister, in the very last panel just won’t get out of my mind.
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios
For better or worse, Lotus Land has so far reveled in its vagueness. Revelations aren’t often told to us directly. There is a lot of subtext and just as much shown in the images as said in the narration or dialogue. Consequently, the first read-through of each issue usually leaves me wanting. Only after going through the issue another time and thinking more thoroughly about what is being shown do I start to realize how much has actually been accomplished. It’s really quite amazing how much of the puzzle has come together at this point to set up the final issue.
For example, Lotus Land #5 seems to reveal what has happened to many missing ‘gifted’ children ex-detective Bennie Strikman has been searching for. At least, I think it has. And it seems obvious that the ‘gifted’ children’s lives, powers and their disappearance are intricately connected to Evermore’s immortality technology. But as I’ve said, most of these revelations are found in the subtext. You might miss them the first time through.
Fortunately, following most of the plot twists isn’t actually too difficult, because Lotus Land continues to build firmly on noir clichés. Anyone familiar with the genre knows to distrust the powerful company and expect an insidious conspiracy. We also aren’t surprised to find good cops going up against the crooked cops who work to keep that conspiracy under wraps.
You could argue that Lotus Land has too many noir clichés – that it’s not original enough and therefore, the revelations not really surprising. But the storytelling and the character work – both in the art and the writing – are just good enough to keep me wrapped up in the mystery. I want to know what happens next, even if it’s not a huge surprise.
And so, even at the end of this issue, there are just as many open questions as revealed answers. But the final page cliffhanger promises that all will be revealed and I can’t wait. It’s left me particularly anxious to get my hands on the final issue next month.
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