Sudden Gravity

by Greg Ruth

Built on a site of great and forgotten power, the mammoth Bentham International Hospital was to be the very definition of modern medical science at its best. But over the years, the spectres and dark secrets of the Hospital began to bore away at its heart, leaving its foundations cracked and vulnerable to the oldest of horrors and nightmares. When a prominent Commissioner of the City's Housing and Urban Development Department is brought to the Panopticon for evaluation after murdering her family, the haunted secrets of the hospital begin to unravel, leaving no one untouched. Julius, the prosthetic boy in room 13 is waking up. The black eggs are found. The lines between the patients and the doctors are blurring. This is where the end begins. Every cure is paid with a curse and every sin is birthed anew as the once brilliant light of modern medicine forsakes the world for the shadows it can no longer hide.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Comic Book, Supernatural

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2006

About the author

Author, Illustrator and comic book artist.

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about the horror genre is the way it delights in its own ambiguity. If you have to question whether something is a comedy, it's usually not, and many other genres do not take well to bending, but horror can be dreary, intellectual, upbeat, or even slap-sticky without loosing the skin-crawling wonder of what's next.

Sudden Gravity is psychological thriller set in a Sanitarium where readers are made to question whether it is the patients or the doctors who are going insane. Horror is not so much the tact of the narrative as it is the place and tone, and while drawn entirely with a ball-point pen, the tremendous art makes every page feel dirty and oppressive. The pace is also fantastic, breaking up its Lovecraftian inquiries into the malevolent nature of the universe with real depth and characterization. A horror novel which doesn't try to humanize its victims will run headlong into Slasher territory, regardless of higher intentions, and thankfully SG evades this danger entirely. Not all the sub-plots are satisfactorily resolved, but it gives more pathos to the tragedy of events when the personal stories are cut short by the evil which comprises the central narrative. Somehow this loss of potential entertainment value brings the toll of death home much better than a well-drawn corpse ever could.

[Taylor Cayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous, and there are a lot of hints in the story of someone who is a creative and fascinating storyteller, but there are several inconsistent moments and the story's "resolution" is extremely disappointing and vague.

[Jessie B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is good and moody, but the plot is confusing to the point of incomprehensible and it is hard to care about any of the characters enough to even try to figure it out.

[Taylor Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's another one that I've had since high school that I recently re-read to see if it'll survive this current bookshelf-pruning.

This was definitely one that I had bought for the art, but I remember the story being confusing. Honestly, I didn't remember anything about the story at all except being confusing! I hoped that, with 10+ years of distance, I'd fully get it, start to finish this time.

Sudden Gravity starts out very strong, with great pacing that tightly lays out the mystery and growing tension. As the story progresses, though, that tightness begins to unravel.

Secret societies with agendas that never get made clear outside of "experiment in children". Characters with erased memories that need to be awoken for... reasons? Children who have been experimented on with their own, never explained agendas that may or may not need to be stopped. Bloodlines that are important for some reason.

Near the end, where things should be reaching a tight, terrifying climax, it feels more like a big ole pile of yarn. Nothing really gets explained, nothing gets resolved, and the ending is frustratingly vague, even for the horror genre.

The art is GORGEOUS, though! It's amazing that it was all drawn with a ball-point pen because this is some incredible stuff! There's clearly a lot of love that went into each page. Despite the many, many flaws in the story, the art plays to it very well and really creates a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere.

I'm not getting rid of this one just yet. Maybe in a month or so I'll give Sudden Gravity another re-read to see if things click a bit better.

[Alessandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudden Gravity by Greg Ruth is one of those graphic novels that creeps under your skin and lingers long after you’ve closed the last page. Set in and around a psychiatric hospital and centering on children caught between reality and nightmare, it weaves horror, mystery, and the supernatural into something far more unsettling — and far more human — than simple genre labels suggest.
Ruth’s artwork is extraordinary: dense with texture, shadow, and emotion. Every panel feels alive with unease, as if the pages themselves are breathing. The story unfolds slowly, obliquely, demanding attention and rewarding it with a deep sense of dread and melancholy beauty.
It’s not a book that explains everything — nor should it. Sudden Gravity thrives in ambiguity, in what’s half-seen and half-understood. Fans of literary horror, psychological tension, and dreamlike narratives will find this a rare gem.
Highly recommended for anyone who likes their stories to haunt rather than simply scare.

[blair corbett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this. An effectively eerie tale of convoluted conspiracy at a mental institution in New York. A thick atmosphere of dread slowly unfolds along with the plot's mysteries. It's not without its storytelling issues - it's hard to get acquainted with all the characters, especially at the beginning, and while ambiguity is definitely a strength of this story, the stakes at play in the final outcome of the events occurring are scarcely even hinted at, to the book's detriment. Ruth's ballpoint pen art is wonderful, he especially excels at the creepy physicality of Dr. Sjit later on and I kinda wish he had pushed the grotesque of the story a little bit harder because he clearly excels at it.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will need to re-read this mysterious tale many times to get the most out of all the details (both graphically and written.) The penned style of the artwork was suitably dark and spooky. The details of life inside any kind of asylum rang true.

[Liz Riik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It kinda reminded me of the movie inception

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Mindblower!
Surreal...terrifying...spectacular! Not only is the story incredibly written and unlike most anything else I've experienced, Greg Ruth's art is equally as breathtaking. My eyes refuse to believe he created every page with a ball point pen. Crazy, but true.
Not your every day graphic novel. An intense, immersive tale of madness, mystery, murder and inexplicable horrors hidden deep within the human psyche. When you read it, make sure the sun is still out and you are not alone!

[Williwaw]

I stumbled upon this at a used book shop yesterday. It looked pretty interesting, but I almost put it back on the shelf. Then, I read that the whole thing had been drawn with a BIC pen, and I knew that I had to have it!

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully drawn descent into insanity, paranoia, and mysticism. I would have preferred a bit less perplexing conclusion, but readers who prefer subtlety and indirect storytelling will find this greatly engaging.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

so good, hated the ending though.

[Ronando: I Stand With Palestinians]

Marcus gave a wonderful review of Sudden Gravity. Had to add it. Can't wait to dive into it.

[Neliza Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art was beautifully executed and the story was devilishly developed.