Action Lab Entertainment 2019
By Rod Espinosa
Previously in Adventure Finders
Clariette de Artegnean, her cousins Jolfe Endarion and Deren Mumbasi, along with their new friend Ariarra Popplevensie, set out to experience the world beyond their sleepy town of Good River. It isn't long before danger finds them! With their new emloyers handicapped with a couple of severly injured members, Clari, Jolfe and Ariarra set off on their own to help their friend Mecomi rescue some children. Having survived their first skirmishes with the perilous beasts of the wilderness, our heroes finally arrive at the city of Bridgetown...
I love Action Lab and I love their all-ages books. They have opened my eyes to how good these series can be and how much you can learn from and enjoy them that regardless of your age or gender. I keep saying these are the kinds of books you can share with your kids, partners, nieces and nephews anyone who might be in your sphere and talk about them over the dinner table. Go device free and talk about books, comics and what is going on in them, it's a sensational way to connect in the real world.
Rod is an amazing storyteller. The fact that he is writing and illustrating this and he does so in such a beautiful way not only is deserving of our respect but earns it tenfold. The way that this story is being told is incredible to see as the story & plot development and the character development are swooped up by the pacing and all of swirls together becoming inseparable as everything moves ever forward. The setting for this story is fantasy and adventuring akin to a dungeons & dragons kind of book and if I am to be 100% honest it really has the same impact on me that reading Dragonlance had and still has on me.
The characterisation here is amazing to see. The attention to the individual characters here really does wonders in helping the reader to understand them better. The dialogue that we see as well as the way the react to situations speaks volumes to the kind of people that they are. It is easy to think that heroes are born but the reality of is heroes are made and they made through their actions in the face of adversity and how we see them behave here is exactly the kind of stuff that heroes of made of.
The interiors here are utterly gorgeous! The way that we see the varying weights of the linework to create this attention to detail is stupendous work. I mean there is this beautiful soft yet strong linework being done that it's a marvel to just sit back and stare at. The way that we see the composition in the panels so that we depth perception and heights are demonstrated is expertly utilised. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show off this amazing eye for storytelling. The way that we see backgrounds being utilised to enhance the moments and bring this sense of size and scope to the story is masterfully done. The colour work too is amazing to see as light sources are utilised to create the shading and shadow work. The various hues and tones in the shading is beautifully handled as are the way we see highlights and lowlights.
The creativity and imagination that we see throughout the book is stunning. From the myriad of individuals to the creates that we see also inhabiting this world make for some truly spectacular circumstances to arise. As our merry band of travellers accompany the orphans and then find themselves in the midst of an ambush how they react and the loyalty they will ensure is one of those instances where the story expands and keeps the reader engaged.
Once again Action Lab shows us why they are the leader when it comes to all-ages storytelling and with a franchise like this there's no stopping them.