Survival
Survival Shows have become a staple on many a cable or network programming. Not to mention the many books and films that use such concepts as a building block of their stories. One need only look at such books as The Hunger Games to see this thematic device in full display. But leave it to Mad Cave Studios to kick it up a notch in their new series Nature’s Labyrinth by Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood.
Nature’s Labyrinth
In Nature’s Labyrinth. it is the criminal element that takes part in the challenge. The rules are simple, at least as far as life and death goes. The eight contestants, each with dubious pasts, take part in a “battle royale” style game in which they will fight for survival and to the death over the course of three days of relentless competition. In the end, the players are all after the ultimate prize. The winner receives wealth or riches and complete anonymity, but at the cost of keeping their silence about the island’s existence. The losers…well they aren’t around to worry about what they did or didn’t get.
No Quitting
Another of the rules of the competition is once you are in, there is no changing your mind. The fact that they started their journey on a cruise ship helped to make walking out a non-sequitur. Not to mention the fact that they were drugged on the ship and dumped on the island where the game takes place. Once on the playing field…or Labyrinth, each “player” is outfitted with a camera rig that must remain on the player. Any attempt to remove it will engage the rig’s defenses and that player will meet an untimely end. Nothing worse than seeing a player fall apart…literally. They are REALLY serious about playing through to the end.
The Maze
The playfield or Nature’s Labyrinth is a jungle maze that can change its format at the behest of those technicians controlling it. Again, a reflection of the Hunger Games with a taste of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire thrown in. For those playing, it is a constant reminder that a wrong step, a poorly chosen path can mean the end. For the initial eight competitors, it is also an opportunity for freedom above all else. Provided they can survive.
However, the players are not without some assistance. They are in contact with a guide of sorts at certain points in the game: Pancho the Instruction Cat. It would behoove the players to pay attention when Pancho lays out his wisdom. Not that his missives are not full of puzzles to decipher, but that is all part of the game. What to believe, what NOT to believe.
Meet the Contestants
In the first issue, we are introduced to the eight contestants. Each is given a nickname, and all referred to as “flourishing.” There is The Flame, The Silence, The Sword, The Terror, The Shield, The Kiss, The Dose, and The Lure. These are the players who will be competing against each other to survive. Some will work together. Some will not. That is the…well…nature of Nature’s Labyrinth.
The lead character in this series (as much as there CAN be a lead character amongst eight participants) is Jane. Jane is established right from the start as a person of secrets. Obviously well trained and physically imposing, Jane also has been through some things. If the many scars on Jane’s back mean anything. Not to mention Jane’s attempts at creating a backstory for their history. And the fact that when the players were drugged, Jane commented that THEY had “changed the script.” Jane knew more about this contest than she was letting on. Of course, Jane’s CIA badge the people running the game found on the beach might be a give-away too.
Thoughts
When it comes to new stories and books, I am usually looking for significant characters with the possibility of greater character development. Not to mention the inclusion of a bad ass female character. In Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood’s Nature’s Labyrinth, they have met those qualifications. There are some stories to tell about all of the contest’s entrants (although for Chet Fisher, AKA “The Lure,” any background information will be post-mortem).
In this early going, it is Jane that intrigues me the most. Bad ass with a secret past alone can reel me in. Although, I’d be less than honest if I didn’t find Nasir Sarafin equally intriguing. For a man called “The Terror,” he strikes me as anything but. There must be more to him than meets the initial scrutiny. Which can probably be said for many of the surviving contestants thus far. That, my friends, is the way to draw an audience in and creators Thompson and Underwood have plowed the field nicely to see what will grow. And we’re only one issue in.
Mad Cave Studios Nature’s Labyrinth, Issue 1 by Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood can be found on Mad Cave’s subscription site now.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
