Writer: Julio Anta / Art: Daniel Irizarri / Colors: Patricio Delpeche / Letters: Lucas Gattoni
It’s been a minute since I’ve reviewed a fresh #1. There’s so much content these days, and it’s tough enough to keep up with long running mainstays let alone add more to the queue. That being said with Beast of Borikén I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Julio Anta’s previous work Home from a half decade ago was a story that I remember fondly, and the premise of a supernatural force interfering with US developers building yet another resort in a Puerto Rican city had me perk up. It certainly helps that Irizarri’s striking cover really sells the premise between the rallying crowd in the foreground and the titular beast in the back.
I am not as intimately familiar with Puerto Rican myth, but I have consumed enough supernatural media between Jackie Chan Adventures and Grimm to be generally aware of its folklore, and I was all in on the goat-sucker to become a real estate developer-sucker.
Beast of Borikén follows a very classical structure for a first issue. We start with a flash back, many years ago before the present, where we are introduced to the protagonist, Loli Flores, in the midst of a disaster. We then snap back to the present where the actual threat takes place: an overtly smug white man with more money than morals.
This one-two punch of past turbulence and present brawl is done so deftly. The pivot from a stressed teenager to a beleaguered adult is so familiar and welcome. Loli’s conviction of advocating for Aguadilla and her community is super admirable and one that particularly resonates with me as someone currently engaged with protesting the hyperscale data centers they want to build in my city. This initial exchange between near unlimited funds who claim that what they are doing is for some greater good and someone who is deeply ingrained with the community is powerful and potent. The pro-environmental messaging is clear. The anti-capitalism sentiment is clear. The impact of the lingering devastation of a past tornado intersects with the current developments hits perhaps a little closer to home than I am comfortable admitting.
Anta’s script is tight. Outside of the general framing, the entire story is told through dialog, which is smart and constantly engaging. We play around with the timeline and bounce between past and present, aided cleverly by Delpeche’s colors, with brighter hues indicating the present and darker ones signifying the past. It’s a well-constructed book, and Irizarri flexes recognizable character design, silhouettes, captures the beauty of Puerto Rico, and the ugliness that is unwanted construction.
Beast of Borikén is a familiar story. It is well executed and provides a solid foundation for the rest of the series. It sells you on this being about Loli’s journey and tantalizes you with this supernatural entity, and I’m super excited to see how the two intertwine as the rest of the issues drop. The creative team has cooked up something special, and I’m hankering for another serving of wish fulfillment where the people who actively harm communities get a taste of the pain and destruction they cause.
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