Sci-fi strangeness overtakes Poughkeepsie in this Spill Zone exclusive

By Oliver Sava | October 5, 2016 | 4:15pm

Aux Features Books

Poughkeepsie, New York was a quiet town on the Hudson River until a mysterious event made it ground zero for unexplainable phenomena that bend the rules of reality. The new First Second graphic novel Spill Zone from best-selling novelist Scott Westerfield (writer of the Uglies and Leviathan book series) and artist Alex Puvilland explores this strange new landscape three years after the catalyzing event, following a young woman named Addison as she ventures into the “Spill Zone” to take pictures of the bizarre happenings. These vibrant, otherworldly photos have become hot commodities in the art-collecting world, and a million-dollar offer compels Addison to move deeper into the Spill Zone than she ever has before, exposing her to untold dangers.

The hard copy of Spill Zone won’t see release until May of next year, but beginning tomorrow, First Second is serializing the story online at thespillzone.com. These preview pages highlight the ominous atmosphere that surrounds Addison, and the thick shadows of her room set a strong point of contrast for the neon-colored brightness of her photographs. Those vivid colors tease the reality-warping weirdness Addison is gearing up to face, and given Puvilland’s exceptional work on graphic novels like Prince Of Persia and Templar, expect some stunning sci-fi spectacle when Addison ventures into the Spill Zone. Readers can get the full story when the graphic novel comes out next year, but until then, they can check out the website to whet their appetite.