Insane Comics 2017
Written by Tyler Carpenter
Illustrated by Trevis Martinez
Lettered & Coloured by Tyler Carpenter
So what i’ve been enjoying about this isn’t the fact that Demons are real though let’s be honest it’s a bonus, no it’s the whole dynamic between father and son. Regardless of what happens in life there’s a bond between parent and child that no matter how much you wish to sever you’ll never be able to. No matter how angry you get with them the love that lies underneath is stronger. I like that Tyler has explored that relationship here and how Ace has all this pent up anger and resentment and now that he’s in the midst of learning the unabridged truth well it’s something he could never have expected.
A good story has many factors to it but it’s really how believable and relatable to the characters are. That Tyler is able to deliver to us such characters who are in the middle of trying to save the world from the forces of hell well that’s pretty impressive. I mean I like that James threw himself into being a preacher and Ace resents him for that and the loss of his mother without knowing the real reason why. Throw in Agent Waters and we’ve really had a nice interesting little group of characters here.
Also I really like that Tyler has been telling this so that it’s happened in days. This is issue four and maybe what two days have passed. It’s the way it should be not suddenly they’ve had time to regroup, research and find a weakness, no it’s fly by the seat of your pants storytelling where decisions are made spur of the moment and there will be consequences to them. It’s real and honest stuff and it’s extremely nice to see. Then there’s also the fact that there are questions about life, faith and the loss of your way in life that also get addressed here making it feel extremely personal.
Trevis does his best god bless him and he’s got a manga influence to his work that’s interesting to see. I will say he needs to use backgrounds more and fill up that blank space in panels until his work on faces and such is a bit stronger. All that does is call attention to faults in his work. Also there needs to be a little more consistency in what we see in characters from panel to panel, that conversation in the car for instance shows hair styles in ways that don’t seem possibly natural. Unless it’s just Aces hair that has that Japanese Spike to it.
So the story takes a very unexpected turn this issue. Ace has a lot to deal with when it comes to the realisation that his parents lives were much more complicated than he could have ever dreamed of. Also the fact that his father tells him of his mother leaving them to be a part of the organization that Agent Waters is well yeah it’s a bit coincidental and fitting. Though that’s just the beginning, literally, of what he’s going to have to deal with.
I like Ace he handles all this as well as can be expected of him and possibly a bit better. This is a good solid series and yes it has kinks that need ironing out and as Trevis gets more comfortable and able to work within deadlines he can expand what we see. It’s a nice book to see how creators are able to make breaking into the business and establishing themselves. Solid premise, pacing, storytelling and characterisation make for interesting reading.