CODE #45 Overview By Daniel Martinez (Next Issue Podcast)

CODE #45 is published by SCOUT COMICS and written by Benjamin Hunting with art by Joe NG Colors by Josh Perez and letters and design by Angela Hodge Vanessa, a subway driver in Montreal hears rumors that there are ‘dragons’ in the tunnels. Her co-workers are terrified of working nights because of what they’ve seen, and as she is transferred to the night shift and falls slowly into both this world and the underground rave scene. 

This first issue is full of many great pieces of world building that allows us to meet Vanessa explore her job and the implications of working underground in the city as well as the people around her both her coworkers and her roommate. The story builds from a normal every day job that slowly devolves into both the terrifying and the unknown. Vanessa’s life is changing and it is very intriguing to go along on this journey 

The art balances the line between a normal mundane everyday job and this unknown world beneath the city. From the horror aspects of these urban legends known as the “dragons” as well as this lively world of the underground raves that Vanessa explores. Very vivid colors in the scenes with the waves are juxtaposed with dark and heavy tones when it comes to dealing with the tunnels. This contrast illustrates how different both of these worlds are even though both are being experienced by the same individual. The art also reflects how Vanessa is evolving in this book as she steps out of her comfort zone into this new world. 

Hodge’s letters allow the reader to smoothly follow the flow of the book and give each character their own distinct voice as we move through this story. 

Code 45#1 ultimately defines a new world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary and it is this contrast that leads the reader to want to read more about our main character Vanessa and to live in this world of intricacy and fantasy.