Hollow Heart
Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Paul Tucker
Publisher: Vault Comics
Love. Empathy. Desire to be free. These are the themes we are faced with Vault Comics’
upcoming release; Hollow Heart.
We are introduced to EL, who used to be human, but he has been reduced to nothing more than a
disarray of organs in a futuristic bio-suit. EL catches the attention of Mateo, who is called in to fix
EL’s suit after his last escape attempt. Outside of mending a broken bio-suit, we are exposed to the
emptiness of Mateo’s life. We are shown Mateo’s attempt at being present outside of his work, but
the only thing on his mind is EL. Mateo goes with his instinct and starts to hatch a plan with EL for
him to escape. And while this plan is slowly being executed Mateo starts to find a little more
meaning in his life and his interaction with EL as well as helping relieve the burden that EL is
carrying.
Hollow Heart explores so much about human nature and interaction in just one issue. It holds up a
mirror to society and conveys how the simplistic needs and wants of an individual can affect groups of
people, whether good or bad. Hollow Heart also explores queer love and the importance of
empathy and freedom within this realm. There is also a couple of sub plots, which will plant seeds
in our mind, subtly grow and just when we aren’t expecting it, possibly give us the old gut punch to
the senses. What is the most effective concept in this first issue, is that impending doom is just
lurking around the corner. However nothing is explained in a direct manner, it’s about the ambiance
created within the context, the characters and the artwork.
Paul Allor has done a stunning job of telling a simple story that conveys something so beautiful but
you can’t help but wonder what horrifying truths will be bestowed upon us in their next couple of
issues. As a reader, you cannot help but want to take some of the burden from EL and Mateo, and
that weight can definitely be felt by the end of the first issue. Paul Tucker’s art is a little too
simplistic for my tastes, however, I feel this could have been intentional, as a way of stripping
everything bare and letting the reader immerse themselves completely in the story. The colour
palette is effective in conveying the themes, and mood. However, you can’t help but love how
much the colour pink stands out in the story and just how important and striking that colour is.
There is so much to unpack in issue one of Hollow Heart. You are left questioning where this story
is going, and how many more themes will be explored. Not too much is revealed by the end of
issue one, but the “less is more” approach is really what is working for this story. All that’s left to
say is buckle up because we are about to jump on a heart-felt and potentially horrifying, slow-burning
story, which may prove emotionally catastrophic.
Review by DARTH JADER
