Rock Bottom

Rock Bottom
w - Joe Casey
a - Charlie Adlard
published by AIT/Planet Lar

Joe Casey is best known for his work on WildCATS, Automatic Kafka, and sometimes even as one of the creators of the hit show Ben 10. Charlie Adlard might even be better known in the comic community for his work as the artist on Walking Dead, though he also worked on Astronauts in Trouble, and (a personal fav) Wildstorm's The Establishment. However most people don't know a that these two superstars have worked together before. In September of last year, the released their second book from AIT/Planet Lar, Rock Bottom. This was a story that the team had been working on in one form or another for at least four years. Originally titled The Monolith, they ended up changing the name after Palmiotti and Gray developed a character with the same moniker for DC.

Jazz pianist Tommy Dare has problems. He's getting divorced from his wife. Which is understandable as he got another girl pregnant right after his wife had a miscarriage. That night at the local House of Blues, Tommy's hands become stiff and unwieldy, and the next morning he can barely get out of bed. Soon Tommy finds out the terrible truth, his body is slowly turning to stone. Not just his skin, but his entire body. Now it's a race against time for his doctors to find someway to help him. As his condition worsens it becomes not a tale of a man becoming less human, but of a man regaining his humanity.

This is not the usual gore-fest or super-punch-out story these guys are used to doing, but that alone I think made them work that much harder on it. Joe Casey's dialog just sings through it. The pacing is wonderful, slowly, gradually bringing you down the same path that Tommy walks before you. Charlie Adlard forgoes his usual style for a simpler pure line art. The only shading used in the whole book is that on Tommy himself to represent the rock. Fantastic. I highly recommend this tale. You can also check out their other previous work together, Codeflesh, also from AIT/Planet Lar. If you want you can pop over to the CBR and check out an interview with the pair from last year. They also have the first twelve pages up, so have fun!

-Dan