In the not too distance future, the world is covered with water. Charlie sails the world looking to survive, in the hope that he will find peace. Can he survive in a small boat when nightmares and memories haunt and surround him like the ocean?

Written by David Lumsden (who also wrote and directed the film which the comic is based upon) Boat the comic book follows the short film’s story. Boat flashes between the present Charlie and his memories of surviving on the water with his father. The ‘then’ and ‘now’ dynamic make for interesting story design as the pieces of Boat‘s world are slowly brought together. While completely different it has the hopelessness of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead in its characters and they do share a similar survival aesthetic.

The art by Mark Wealeans is astounding. In black and white he adds so much depth and beauty to the world of Boat. One only needs to look at the cover (or even the poster of the film) to be captivated.

It is interesting to note that this is based on a short film, so is it a companion to the film or just a different reading of the film in the medium of a comic book? That is the problem we had with it. The comic is stunning visually. Volume 1 suggests a hefty graphic novel and Boat is only 50 pages. If it had been Issue 1, maybe it would feel more weighty. Because it is Volume 1, there is a lot of things happening. Boat could spend a full six issues expanding what is in this volume as a lot of things happen very quickly. However, it is an indy comic so that shouldn’t be that much of a detriment, but we expected a full graphic novel when we opened it. Let’s hope we see many more volumes to come as the world of Boat is an amazing place.

Based on the Scottish short film of the same name, Boat Volume 1 delivers a haunting, bleak yet beautiful art style married with a powerful story of survival and family.

BOAT VOLUME 1 / WRITER: DAVID LUMSDEN / ARTIST: MARK WEALEANS / PUBLISHER: DAVID LUMSDEN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW