Black Mask Studios 2016
Written by Curt Pires
Illustrated by Eric Scott Pfeiffer
Lettered by Colin Bell
Designed by Ryan Ferrier
Have you ever felt you are in the presence of something great? I feel that way reading this book. Aside from the absolute stunning work that Eric Scott puts into it, which i’ll get into later, the story itself is something interesting as the take on it isn’t something you see everyday. There’s an energy that the guys have that comes across on the page here that somehow finds it’s way into your bones and resonates throughout the body.
The story itself is coming together so incredibly well with the past and present both being revealed and hidden at the same time. We know they did the Magick so get them where they are now and there’s something out there coming after them. We’re seeing how they’ve changed a bit and the death of one of their own already. However we don’t know why, what connection it has to what they did or even if this a result of that. Okay assumption is that it is but there’s a reason who assume things….
Oh my god the work that Eric Scott is doing here is stunning. The painting of it just is so striking, the use of brush strokes and the use of light and shadow how he’s able to make objects like that Jack Daniel’s bottle so recognisable while being somewhat artistic it all really just ignites the imagination. There’s this incredible detail in this that you don’t always expect when you see the style of painting that is going here. Honestly I can’t even tell if this is computer generated or hand painted and it doesn’t matter because wow. The life, expression and verve he brings to this blows me away. If he’s ever interested i’ve got blank covers he can choose from to do his own thing with I’d be honoured to have that in my collection.
The focus on the characters this issue is great. Seeing Sage and Jamie this issue and how vastly different their lives are going is strong stuff. Also Jamie’s time in rehab while surprisingly short seems to have hit him in the feels and with a bout of honesty we see how he feels and why he does what he does because of the actions the group did in the past. Very strong, poignant moment for him it moved me a bit more than expected. A lot of this story hits you in ways you won’t expect and it’s because of that I find myself drawn to this even more.
Yeah I feel the whole be careful what you wish for and there are consequences to your actions aspects going on when you mess with forces beyond your ken but seriously there’s so much personal stuff going on with these individuals that is being delved into that makes the story so much broader than what you think when going in. I’m impressed with the level of storytelling here, the way Curt has been able to layer this throughout and still keep so much hidden from us while revealing some important parts.
You won’t be expecting this it’s powerfully written and illustrated and will take you on a journey through a group of lives in ways you have to experience to understand.