Action Lab Danger Zone 2016
Created & Written by Michael R. Martin & Adam J. Orndorf
Illustrated by Roy Allan Martinez
Coloured by Raymund Lee
Lettered by Kel Nuttall
Wow this starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up. I’ve not seen this kind of storytelling from Action Lab before and I’m completely enthralled and thrilled by it! When the kids are acting up and grandpa isn’t having it anymore things get incredibly tense and go a route I sure as hell wasn’t expecting. This is why I love going into a series blind because I have no idea what it’s about and the actions well they certainly grab your attention and don’t let go.
Roy Allan Martinez may not be a household name in the comics industry but his work’s been around awhile on titles you may recognize. What he brings to the table here is undeniably some of the most intense and frighteningly good stuff. There’s a crispness and cleanness to the work here that is fantastic to see. The flow of the story through the pages and the panels is superb as is use of angles and perspective. The attention to detail and the likeness of real life people in the characters adds this chilling effect to the story.
So after the boys grab your attention it’s time to learn about Grandpa and his family. I like how this was done too it’s not everyday that you get to see things from a perspective like this and the storytelling and characterization are great. Plus there’s just enough information given so you understand the situation while there’s also plenty of leeway so that if it’s desired or integral to the story that it can be expanded upon and fleshed out more.
A man named Eddie Jacobs comes a calling upon Grandpa, whose christian name is Judd Glenny. He wants to thank him for what he’s done, namely rescuing his boy from the swamp after he got lost. See the swamp ain’t no place for a five year old boy too many monsters living in it and some you’d never expect. Still Judd’s known round these parts for finding lost souls before the swamp takes them and bringing them home. Only the townsfolk don’t like talking about Judd and his kin. Eddie though he has questions as well as wanting to pay his gratitude and debt to the man who saved his son.
This is nothing like you’ll expect it to be. There’s greatness here in how all this starts off and it has that epic feeling to it that this could be so much more than you realize even after finishing the issue. This world they guys have created here is absolutely incredible and that we see so much characterization, the acts of redemption and the struggle of family and doing what’s right all coming into play in ways that will surprise you is why this will leave an impact.
This isn’t for the faint of heart or squeamish but lovers of horror stories and those that center around life’s mysteries will find this not only entertaining but fascinating. From it’s unexpected lead character and those around him to the setting of the swamp and what lives there to the incredible interior artwork this is far away the biggest surprise of the week in terms of quality.