Review: "Slava: After the Fall" by Pierre-Henry Gomont

Slava: After the Fall by Pierre-Henry Gomont
English edition published January 2023 via Europe Comics
★★★

It's the 90s, the Soviet Union has fallen, and a new power has taken hold: capitalism. Slava, once an artist, is caught in this shifting landscape, learning to broker sketchy deals but uncertain of just how far along the capitalism scale he is willing to go.



The tale is about as lighthearted as it can be under the circumstances, though the humor is not always to my tastes (and the book definitely does not pass the Bechdel test). In terms of art style, my favorite parts by far were the moments that Gomont pulled back to show us the sweep of a mountain, or a city, or a mine—such dramatic scenery, and sometimes dramatic architecture, in what is at times a dark story. (Honestly, with the first sweeping snow scenes I thought, "Maybe he'll turn the Dyatlov Pass story into a comic!"—but that's just my pet obsessions showing through.) Worth the read for those sweeping images alone.



I'm grateful for the author's note at the beginning, which provides a bit of context and sets both scene and expectations for the rest of the book. This is a story about people caught in history's shackles, he writes, and that seems about right. The characters in this book would all be themselves in a different context, but if they had different opportunities and options...well, many of them would not be in the positions that they find themselves in for these hundred-odd pages. The story is not about today's Russia (although Gomont touches on the "idiotic war" in the author's note), but it feels timely nonetheless—small cogs in a huge machine, making the choices they need to, or think they need to, to get by.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.