Zenescope Entertainment 2019
Written by Ralph Tedesco
Illustrated by Oliver Borges
Coloured by Leonardo Paciarotti
Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual
Marna introduces Lucas to two other players: Jordan and her brother, Casper. Jordan, an amateur hacker, thinks she can geo-locate X so they can discover his true identity and stop him in the real world, but first they need to find him inside the game... Meanwhile, time is running out as X is becoming more sophisticated in his killing. And soon the group will learn something terrifying that they never saw coming.
While I may be behind in reviewing this let me stress to you that this is a trade paperback that you will want, nay NEED, in your life. The concept is amazing and what Ralph is doing with this is forward thinking and taking what's now to the next logical level. This is some of the smartest writing around and it demonstrates the power of storytelling and that regardless of which company is putting it out there are stupendous offerings all around.
I love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is brilliantly presented. I am dead serious too because the way the this is structured is essential for the reader to enjoy the experience and how we see things unfold allows us to really feel the built up tension. It also showcases the fear and the uncertainty that the characters possess. Which directly ties into the character development. How we keep seeing the characters grow and evolve the more circumstances and situations are but their way is phenomenal. This is how people, see you and I, go through life and that Ralph captures the essence so perfectly is really something to see. The pacing is amazing and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way we see how it all works together to create the ebb & flow of the book.
There is one more issue after this and the arc is finished. This for me is a double edged sword because there are so many outstanding sub-plots still working here and I want to see them explored further. Then again depending on how this ends it could very well be a complete story and no need for another arc. Regardless this is what comics are about and what I love about them and this really needs to be on everyone's reading list and lips, specially come awards time.
The interiors here are utterly fabulous! The linework is extraordinary and how we see the varying weights are being utilised to bring out this amazing attention to detail. I am an art snob I will admit it and for me to be this thrilled by what I am seeing here should tell you that I feel it's amazing work. The way we see the composition within the panels and how backgrounds are utilised to bring us depth perception, scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the book is mindbogglingly good stuff. The way that we see the utilisation of the page layouts with the angles and perspective in the panels shows such a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is gorgeously rendered and I am a huge fan of the non-traditional way that hues and tones are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. The variations in colour and how different ones combine to create other is shown here with in some dynamic ways and the average reader doesn't catch it but let me tell ya it's stunning.
This whole issue has left me chuffed. The more I read of it the more I want to see and the more I want to be able to explore the worlds within its pages. If you think you know Zenescope then think again what this is and what it does for comics is showcase the power that science fiction storytelling has and how a possible future could come to pass.