Review by Colin Credle
Semelparity is a biological survival strategy available to organisms, defined by a single reproductive episode before death. Many insects, including butterflies, cicadas and mayflies are semelparous. In Alaska, the salmon who swim upstream to lay their eggs knowing they will perish perform the ultimate sacrifice for their offspring. Author Si Spurrier weaves this idea of parents sacrificing everything for the benefit of their offspring into gold rush Alaska of 1899. In the remote wilderness of the Klondike, where the veneer of civilization is transparently thin and most are afflicted with gold lust, Spurrier introduces the horror of vengeful monsters, macabrely illustrated and instilled with an unnerving moral high ground.
The Rush blooms with expressive writing one might expect to find in long hand cursive letters written between distant lovers of the late 1800s. It is a beautiful read, with phrases not only filled with succinct observations about humanity, but also accompanied with the kind of epithets you would expect in a gold rush town. When asked about the origins of the inexplicable monsters, one local observes: “when the world is broken, it is easier to tell stories than to fix it.”
The setting of Alaska in 1899 lends a gravity to the setting and the unmolested wilderness hovers with malice at being violated. At the centre is reformed dancer Nettie Bridger, determined to find her son Caleb. Caleb accompanied his father Nathaniel to explore a claim in distant Brokenhoof, but Nathaniel returned to Dawson City a broken man without Caleb. Nettie faces so many obstacles as a woman in a gold rush town. Everything is expensive, every egg hiked in from a great distance and every price hiked by spendthrift gold diggers. She manages to hire a guide named Makepeace Thyme to lead her to Brokenhoof in search of Caleb.
Outside Brokenhoof, Nettie and Makepeace are set upon by a fellow traveller and rescued by Canadian Inspector George LaPointe. LaPointe guides us into the odd happenings of Brokenhoof and helps with enticing news about Caleb. The mysterious murderous bloodshed that grabs anyone that seeks to leave keeps gold diggers huddled in Brokenhoof, so LaPointe tries to convince Nettie she should leave while she still can. A local guide who owes LaPointe a debt, Bill Tsikamen, agrees to guide Nettie and Makepeace back to Dawson City. Nettie hopes to read the claim register to find out who deceived her son Caleb and thus had motive to harm him. Despite the grim setting, we hold hope Caleb might still live.
This is a very atmospheric tale of horror. Artist Nathan Gooden’s monsters are gripping and drawn to have great impact. The blood and gore are critical to the fear that saturates our characters and to depicting the gold lust violence, which although well done, is presented in a freeze frame fashion. For instance, a bullet shot to the head is drawn as if it was caught by a camera shot the instant it happened. The story and panels work well together, but this static gore remains off-putting.
Where The Rush excels is in its depiction of the era, the dialogue and the reveal of the character’s motives as they confront such well-presented horror. Not everything is explained, but this only lends to the mystery. Nettie’s determination and wilful lack of gold lust lend her a unique insight and strength – a one eyed Queen in the kingdom of the blind. With her perspective, determination and good intentions, we follow Nettie into a maze of horror, rooting for her to win.
