Aberrant Season 2 #1
Action Lab Danger Zone 2019
Written by Rylend Grant
Illustrated by Davi Leon Dias
Coloured by Iwan Joko Triyono
Lettered by HdE
CHAPTER 1: I NEED A HERO.
As a wholly new and delightfully twisted story arc begins, David is forced to team with the man he hates most (and trusts the least) to complete a key mission. Disgraced former superhero Lance Cordrey wonders if he has one last save-the-world push left in him.
See folks this is what keeps me coming back time and again to read comics. This is a really interesting, honest and brutal look at what happens when people get powers. Not everyone is a nice guy and sometimes when you gain these abilities and let’s face it when it happens like it did here you freak out and forget who you are and or were. So to see Rylend not shy away from showing what we would actually instead of what we think we might do, or hope we might do, and to do it so well really is a refreshing change of pace. Also this is season 2 so it’s not as if the characters don’t have time to grow and evolve, so for now they act completely within character.
I like the way that this is structured. The opening is always something that we’ll see somewhere in the book and it’s attention grabbing to the point where you want to find out what leads to it. Then there is the whole deal with the Government having their greedy, sticky hands in all this. They took Lance down, purposefully and I believe they did it primarily so that they could use and manipulate him for their own purposes which if you look at the character is highly improbable. Rylend is creating layers to the book through the characters complexity, those around them who have this illusion of control, and the very Aberrant’s they tasked with defeating.
The ebb & flow created here is sensational. While it is very much a heavy story driven book the placement of action or moments that shock you are placed expertly within. That the narration and characterisation, not to mention character assessment, that moves this story forward has this fantastic feel of speed to it. The pacing is pretty brilliant and how we see events that could have been drawn out but fit within the parameters of doing a limited series run.
The interiors are very well done and the way that we see the linework here is crisp, clean and strong. The utilisation of the varying weight are manipulated so that they bring out some very nice attention to detail. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show us a solid eye for storytelling. The one thing I wish were better are the way backgrounds are utilised. When used properly they expand the moment and bring a nice sense of size and scope to the world. Then there are too many panels without backgrounds at all, plus there are times when we see them utilised but then on the same page it disappears and I’m left wondering what that’s about. Consistency is key and the locker room is a nice example of that, speaking of which I could’ve used less of the button pushing shocking and more of the shower itself that page was a missed opportunity. The colour work from Iwan is strong and nice to see. There is colour gradation, a nice use of light sources for shading and shadows and sets the mood where the scene takes place beautifully.
I love the story and I may be nitpicking the interiors but that’s what I do, am supposed to do (?) right, right. The way all this is told and the sheer intensity that the story and artwork bring to it is really stunning. The potential for this series is just beginning to be scratched and trust me you want to be here sooner rather later.
Action Lab Danger Zone 2019
Written by Rylend Grant
Illustrated by Davi Leon Dias
Coloured by Iwan Joko Triyono
Lettered by HdE
CHAPTER 1: I NEED A HERO.
As a wholly new and delightfully twisted story arc begins, David is forced to team with the man he hates most (and trusts the least) to complete a key mission. Disgraced former superhero Lance Cordrey wonders if he has one last save-the-world push left in him.
See folks this is what keeps me coming back time and again to read comics. This is a really interesting, honest and brutal look at what happens when people get powers. Not everyone is a nice guy and sometimes when you gain these abilities and let’s face it when it happens like it did here you freak out and forget who you are and or were. So to see Rylend not shy away from showing what we would actually instead of what we think we might do, or hope we might do, and to do it so well really is a refreshing change of pace. Also this is season 2 so it’s not as if the characters don’t have time to grow and evolve, so for now they act completely within character.
I like the way that this is structured. The opening is always something that we’ll see somewhere in the book and it’s attention grabbing to the point where you want to find out what leads to it. Then there is the whole deal with the Government having their greedy, sticky hands in all this. They took Lance down, purposefully and I believe they did it primarily so that they could use and manipulate him for their own purposes which if you look at the character is highly improbable. Rylend is creating layers to the book through the characters complexity, those around them who have this illusion of control, and the very Aberrant’s they tasked with defeating.
The ebb & flow created here is sensational. While it is very much a heavy story driven book the placement of action or moments that shock you are placed expertly within. That the narration and characterisation, not to mention character assessment, that moves this story forward has this fantastic feel of speed to it. The pacing is pretty brilliant and how we see events that could have been drawn out but fit within the parameters of doing a limited series run.
The interiors are very well done and the way that we see the linework here is crisp, clean and strong. The utilisation of the varying weight are manipulated so that they bring out some very nice attention to detail. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show us a solid eye for storytelling. The one thing I wish were better are the way backgrounds are utilised. When used properly they expand the moment and bring a nice sense of size and scope to the world. Then there are too many panels without backgrounds at all, plus there are times when we see them utilised but then on the same page it disappears and I’m left wondering what that’s about. Consistency is key and the locker room is a nice example of that, speaking of which I could’ve used less of the button pushing shocking and more of the shower itself that page was a missed opportunity. The colour work from Iwan is strong and nice to see. There is colour gradation, a nice use of light sources for shading and shadows and sets the mood where the scene takes place beautifully.
I love the story and I may be nitpicking the interiors but that’s what I do, am supposed to do (?) right, right. The way all this is told and the sheer intensity that the story and artwork bring to it is really stunning. The potential for this series is just beginning to be scratched and trust me you want to be here sooner rather later.
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