Calamity Kate #2
Dark Horse Comics 2019
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Illustrated by Corin Howell
Coloured by Valentina Pinto
Lettered by Zakk Saam
After the mysterious Javelin starts sniping Kate's monster kills, Kate can't seem to get her out of her head. As the one-sided rivalry continues, Kate can't help but feel that there's some connection between Javelin and her ex- wife Sandra, which is throwing her whole process into chaos.
Well this is certainly not going anything like I had expected it to and that’s a fantastic thing to say! Mags continues to defy expectations with how she goes about bringing her characters to life and I love the fact that she isn’t afraid to show how fundamentally flawed, damaged and interesting that can make a person be. While I thought perhaps that monster hunting might be more prevalent but that is kind of secondary to what we see instead the story of Kate takes centre stage and it’s kind of glorious.
The way that this is structured is very well done and how the books overall ebb & flow between action and how we learn about things is extremely well balanced. Add into the mix the characterisation she’s bringing to the table and I am beyond thrilled with each turn of the page. While this may be Kate’s story she does have those around who are affected by what she says and does and I like how we see the after-effect of that. A lot of folks try to get a well rounded cast of characters around the protagonist but few go this kind of extra mile to show us how some of them are coping with the latest addition to their life like we see here.
The introduction of Javelin would’ve been enough on it’s own but by throwing in these pressers after the kill only continues to complicate matters. We have seen enough to know by now that Kate craves the spotlight and attention as much as being the best thing around. Her public image while the complete opposite of her private life show us the level at which she operates. The true measure of a person isn’t what they it’s how they react, after all anyone could do good deeds and be praised for them but when said person feels slighted and fights back well it shows us a lot more than the good deeds did.
The more I see Corin’s work the more enamoured with it I become. While there is some very nice variation in the weights of the linework what really strikes me about it is the composition of each panel. Backgrounds play such an important role here in expanding the moments and showing us more about the characterisation than words ever simply could. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this amazing eye for storytelling. The imagination and creativity is so much fun to behold. How they make the monsters scary and yet almost all-ages appropriate is utterly delightful. Valentina’s colour work is simply wonderful to see. The way light sources are utilised through shading, colour gradation and shadows really makes an impact on how we see things.
There is something about the way that this is being told that makes it stand apart in the crowd. Sometimes we adapt to our jobs or they pre-destined in a sense. Kate took up hers and made it who she was and in the process she seems to have lost herself in it, using it as a crutch to hide from real commitment and her emotions. She is being irresponsible living with her friend and using her the way she does but ya know what it’s a part of what makes her her right now and the changes I hope to see before the arc ends, well I hope they come one way or another.
This is a sensational story about finding who you are and coming back from being lost, when you didn’t even know that you needed to.
Dark Horse Comics 2019
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Illustrated by Corin Howell
Coloured by Valentina Pinto
Lettered by Zakk Saam
After the mysterious Javelin starts sniping Kate's monster kills, Kate can't seem to get her out of her head. As the one-sided rivalry continues, Kate can't help but feel that there's some connection between Javelin and her ex- wife Sandra, which is throwing her whole process into chaos.
Well this is certainly not going anything like I had expected it to and that’s a fantastic thing to say! Mags continues to defy expectations with how she goes about bringing her characters to life and I love the fact that she isn’t afraid to show how fundamentally flawed, damaged and interesting that can make a person be. While I thought perhaps that monster hunting might be more prevalent but that is kind of secondary to what we see instead the story of Kate takes centre stage and it’s kind of glorious.
The way that this is structured is very well done and how the books overall ebb & flow between action and how we learn about things is extremely well balanced. Add into the mix the characterisation she’s bringing to the table and I am beyond thrilled with each turn of the page. While this may be Kate’s story she does have those around who are affected by what she says and does and I like how we see the after-effect of that. A lot of folks try to get a well rounded cast of characters around the protagonist but few go this kind of extra mile to show us how some of them are coping with the latest addition to their life like we see here.
The introduction of Javelin would’ve been enough on it’s own but by throwing in these pressers after the kill only continues to complicate matters. We have seen enough to know by now that Kate craves the spotlight and attention as much as being the best thing around. Her public image while the complete opposite of her private life show us the level at which she operates. The true measure of a person isn’t what they it’s how they react, after all anyone could do good deeds and be praised for them but when said person feels slighted and fights back well it shows us a lot more than the good deeds did.
The more I see Corin’s work the more enamoured with it I become. While there is some very nice variation in the weights of the linework what really strikes me about it is the composition of each panel. Backgrounds play such an important role here in expanding the moments and showing us more about the characterisation than words ever simply could. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this amazing eye for storytelling. The imagination and creativity is so much fun to behold. How they make the monsters scary and yet almost all-ages appropriate is utterly delightful. Valentina’s colour work is simply wonderful to see. The way light sources are utilised through shading, colour gradation and shadows really makes an impact on how we see things.
There is something about the way that this is being told that makes it stand apart in the crowd. Sometimes we adapt to our jobs or they pre-destined in a sense. Kate took up hers and made it who she was and in the process she seems to have lost herself in it, using it as a crutch to hide from real commitment and her emotions. She is being irresponsible living with her friend and using her the way she does but ya know what it’s a part of what makes her her right now and the changes I hope to see before the arc ends, well I hope they come one way or another.
This is a sensational story about finding who you are and coming back from being lost, when you didn’t even know that you needed to.
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