Welcome back, once again, to the Comics Challenge. We are just a little bit late because I spent the last days of November on a weekend trip, and I did not get to do this before leaving because I was focused on finishing Non-Specific November Writing Month. I did indeed hit my word quota, and I still need to finish the story, but with 50k in the bag I can let that rest for one more day and get back to my comic book obligations... and fuck me, what a comic book we have here. Material Volume 1 (there sadly do not appear to be subsequent volumes) is a tight and poly-authored little thing that nevertheless contains lots and lots of depth. I'll go as deep as I can, but I only need scratch the surface long enough to wring some coherent words and analysis out of the book. Which I'm good at doing, and will do so now. There has been a running theme throughout the TV shows I've covered on the blog between 2022 and 2024, a concept which I coined a phrase for: The Dark Heart Of America. From the ugly historical microcosms of Quantum Leap, to the systemic rot lurking in the id of small-town America in Twin Peaks, to the battle against crime and the darkening of one's soul in Miami Vice, it's been there. Material is a comic about the dark heart of America, but the way in which it's told and the heady concepts it plays with are of definite interest.
