Overground Comics 2015
Written by Jon Hughes
Penciled by Joshua Flower
Inked by Mostafa Moussa
Coloured by William Anderson
After losing their leader, Captain Zero, the Zero Technologies Cavaliers make an impulse decision to hide the truth about his identity from the police. As tensions mount, both the heroes and the police intensify their efforts in finding the killer….
It’s no secret that i’m a huge fan of small press or self published companies they somehow manage to instill in their books that love and passion for what they are doing that is infectious to the reader. Sometimes however even I get surprised when I see a book is out and I get excited to read it, in an industry inundated with so much to choose from getting excited over one particular book is something to talk about. This is one of those books as I opened it up to read I found myself excited for what was to come and as a reviewer, who reads an insane amount of weekly books, that I can still get this excited by it should tell you something.
We’ll get to Jon’s writing in a few first I want to talk about the interior artwork here. Joshua, Mostafa and William are putting out some of the most classic comic style artwork on stands today it’s expressive, wonderfully detailed and totally engaging. They bring life to these characters and there’s some indescribable moments where you just stop and look at their work and you don’t realize the impact it’s having on you. Rhapsody for instance with her unique style and her tattoo’s are just mesmerizing. Plus the use of pages and panel layouts are amazingly well done in helping the flow of the story.
So while we’ve got this mystery of who killed Captain Zero there is some of the best characterization happening here. Rhapsody gets a much needed spotlight as after last issue we get a better look at who she is and what she’s about. The whole time she’s with the tech guy working on her collar the dialogue is written in such a way that you feel for her. She’s a scared girl with a huge responsibility that you wouldn’t have known about without this moment. Rising from a scary individual to a thought provoking and interesting character in two issues really showcases Jon’s ability when it comes to not only writing but characterization. Her role in this issue really solidified why I love this series.
Outside of that we see a new character introduced and a possible reason for Captain Zero’s death but to me it seems like a red herring. I say this because it’s too obvious and it’s a great way to divert suspicion from the real murderer. I love that it’s something that makes you think and analyze in such ways that by engaging you as a reader you find that coming back isn’t a question it’s going to happen because you want to know if you are right.
With a solid premise, great character development, strong pacing and a delightful cast of characters this should be on your monthly reading list.