IDW Publishing 2019
Written by B. Dave Walters
Illustrated by Tess Fowler
Coloured by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
When war threatens the Moonshae Isles, legendary heroes return to defeat the forces of an unthinkable foe. Enter Hoondarrh: the Red Rage of Mintarn; the Sleeping Wyrm of Skadaurak; a Red dragon of legendary size, cunning, and strength. None shall prevail against his might.
This is a wondrous story as it's being told by Dave and Tess, with Jay and Neil. One of the things that impresses me a lot is that the writing and the artwork go so well together. The story is strong and has this fantastic ebb& flow to how we see the events unfold thanks to this amazing pacing, story & plot development and character development. Yet the interiors and the way Tess renders them really gives this that something extra when it comes to characterisation.
Then and now storytelling can be somewhat complicated but it's nice to see how Dave manages it here. As the first part of the book is the past and the latter is the present doesn't hurt matters and it gives us a chance to see the events that lead us to the present. It is also interesting to see how time has changed the characters that we see. There is a great feel to the introduction to a slew of new characters this issue and to actually see how an artificer can be utilised in this setting. After all Janolus and his ship that he now has well it certainly is rather unique to be seen here.
The characterisation that we see here is phenomenal. To see the twins so happy and carefree and seemingly knowing whomever they come across and it could've come across so annoying but Dave manages to make cool and interesting. I love the Captain and one other passenger on this ship, Shandeir. That old broad is awesome and while the other around dote she's not having any of that and she's a feisty one to boot, sigh I would love to see a story centred around her someday.
Tess' work on the interiors is so utterly gorgeous she makes this crew and this part of the world look as fabulous as can be. The linework and how the varying weights have been manipulated to create the attention to detail that we see is exciting, vibrant and alive. Bonus for showing a hairy chest as well. Then there's the ageing process that's been done here from a teen to adult they've been rendered extremely well. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong, talented eye for storytelling. Also that we see backgrounds being utilised as they are is marvellous, they enhance the moments and bring a nice sense of size and scope to the story. The colour work here for me is interesting as I know Jay can do some masterful work but I'm not really seeing that so much here. There is a lot of flat colour and the shading and tones just don't show the normal depth I am used to seeing.
Between the storytelling and the action sequences things feel like once they get started it is like the proverbial snowball down a steep hill. It keeps getting bigger and bigger with turn of the page. There is this wonderful playfulness of the past that shows a moment in time that changes them forever okay not necessary show that moment but the series of events that lead to it. Either way this is that catalyst moment and I cannot wait to see what is in store for the group. I mean I am dying to know what's become of the blue boy who's blue scaly face and androgynous look and bisexual nature as well as Helene's best friend.
This is captivating storytelling in ever sense of the word and that we get to see it come to life before our eyes is a treat.