Image Comics 2020
Written by Matt Fraction
Pencilled & Coloured by Terry Dodson
Inked by Rachel Dodson
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
The mysterious disappearance of the original Adventureman gets a little more complicated when, in the modern era, single mom Claire Connell stumbles into his legacy. But with the adventuremantle come untold dangers from those who would seek to destroy it!
I am thoroughly enjoying this story so far. I love the way Matt is throwing things at us and how we see Claire and her son, Tommy, this extended eclectic family and this fascination and love of Adventureman. Matt has magic fairy dust in his home, he has to because this is just another in a string of stellar books from him. It is so incredibly easy to get caught up in this and the funny part is that it’s only the second issue! Of course the first issue was extra large sized so wow.
The way that this is being told is utterly effin bloody brilliant! The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented perfectly. The way real life and mother/son bonding and this crazy train wreck that’s occurring all of it is so seamlessly woven together to make that patchwork quilt that even Dolly would admire. The character development we see is amazing. I mean we see these characters behave, act and react to the situations and circumstances, or just normal life, it defines who they are as they continue to grow and evolve. The pacing is perfectly laid down and as it takes us through these pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see just how well it all works together to create the books ebb & flow.
It is so easy to see how well this book is structured and it just keeps the reader glued to the page. The more we learn, the more we want to know and we don’t ever want it to end and this is precisely why Matt is one of the world’s premiere comics writers. I am so jealous that I don’t have this kind of talent with words and yet I am such a huge fan of his so it kind of all evens out in the wash as they say. This is so beautifully done that it doesn’t feel real and possible.
The interiors are truly beautiful. The Dodson’s are a unique duo in the business as husband and wife who know each other’s work to such an extent that they too create some magic within these pages. The linework is soft yet strong like the web spun by a spider and how the varying weights and techniques we see being utilised to create the attention to detail is sensationally rendered. The way we see backgrounds utilised throughout not only enhance the moments but they bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is gorgeous as well. The hues and tones we see within the colours whether muted or full on bright utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is sublime.
Sometimes when something comes along and you know the creators work and yet you aren’t prepared for what they’ve done. That is this book. There is the feeling of old school comics meeting present day sensibility and throughout these pages we see moments and scenes that warm the heart in the best of the unexpected ways. I don’t know how this got to a level that seems impossible to reach but it has.