The anthropomorphic spy thriller Spy Seal is unlike any comic currently being published in this genre. Rich Tommaso sets the story in jolly old London during the Cold War era. Russian spies are afoot and causing mayhem throughout the city. But this isn’t a modern, gritty tale about the moral compromises that have to be made in order to uncover terrorist plots and save innocent lives. There isn’t any wallowing in the “dark side” as Dick Cheney once described it. Tommaso’s comic is a homage to classic high adventures starring a dashing protagonist facing off against an array of dastardly villains speaking with funny foreign accents. Only in this case, the hero happens to be a talking grey seal. Along the way, there’s government intrigue, elaborate assassination plots, beautiful femme fatales, and a macguffin that will presumably send everyone involved in a high stakes hunt to various exotic locales. Tomasso demonstrates an ability to capture the rhythms and plot points that propel this kind of story forward. The result is a fairly entertaining page turner.
It’s also a very pretty comic story inspired by the visuals of Hergé. Tomasso tempers the absurdity of his anthropomorphic cast by drawing them in the ligne claire style. There’s an attractive minimalism being demonstrated which unites what turns out to be a surprisingly wide variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles walking about the streets of London. The clean, geometric shapes and flat, pop aesthetic of his color palette gives the bustling metropolis a certain period glamour. And of course, the comic’s retro style instantly recollects The Adventures of Tintin to anyone who has ever read them. This is especially true during a bizarre rooftop chase, as these types of action scenes are a staple of every Tintin comic.
If there’s one glaring weakness, it’s that none of the characters have come into focus yet. They mainly fit into broad archetypes without any sharply defined individual traits to set them apart. This is particularly true of the titular protagonist Malcolm Warner, who already enters the comic with a set of useful skills as an ex-military man and jiu-jitsu exponent. While those make him handy in a fight, he doesn’t exhibit any curiosity or independent initiative. This unfortunately draws attention to the largely accidental nature of his involvement with the main plotline. If Malcolm wasn’t in the right place at the right time, and if he didn’t catch the attention of a certain undercover operative, he would have carried on oblivious to the events around him. Needless to say, there's some clunky exposition exchanged between the characters before the actual adventure can begin.
But there’s also a tiny hint of sardonic humor that keeps it from being just a nostalgic retread. The comic’s first act takes place in an art gallery where several of the works on display are vaguely reminiscent of Damien Hirst installations of preserved dead animals. Naturally, the remains of real world creatures have no noticeable effect on the gallery’s patrons. Why should they? It’s just Art.
