Titan Comics 2019
Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Andres Guinaldo
Coloured by Marco Lesko
Lettered by Jim Campbell
Ash located the burned-out remains of Selwyn's SPINNER and the body of his chauffeur in a down-town slum, but before she could investigate further her cybernetic back brace malfunctioned and
she collapsed. Meanwhile, Isobel and Cleo, both very much alive and free, desperately searched through the rain soaked city for a man called MALEK...
First and foremost this is a Detective story and I love that about this because it should be just that. What Mike² do here is really rather well thought out and executed from a story standpoint that is engaging, interesting and just beginning to really show off it's potential. The story & plot development and the character development that we see in play here is simply the beginning of something and so far I am incredibly intrigued to see what is in store for all these characters. The pacing takes everything we see and runs it through a blender and yet keeps it all moving forward. This is some heavy duty stuff we're getting here and by George this is a million times better than I could have hoped for.
With what we have seen thus far and what we've learned there is nothing about this that is what it seems and naturally the twists and turns that are both obvious and not so much so are going to be what keeps us coming back time and time again. What I really can't wait to see more of however is how Ash is going to find Isobel and Cleo while keeping what she is finding from the very people that supposed to be her superiors. We all know she's a rebel, without a cause, but in all honesty she also trusts her instincts and doesn't kowtow to anyone and that's something to really like and admire about her.
I like the way that we are introduced to the new characters. I know most of these are ones we'll probably never see again but on the other hand this network of individuals who use fake names and are helping Isobel and Cleo they are worth seeing again. Plus I like seeing Ash's street help I mean she's a smart cookie and knows both her limitations and the need for outside eyes. I think it's because of what happened to her once already with her brace but that's just my opinion.
I do like the interiors here. There is some really nice linework going on in these pages as we the varying weights being utilised to create some darn fine attention to detail here. Also I like how we see a softer tone to the work in the backgrounds so that they convey depth and let eye focus on the intended subject matter. There really is something about this that regardless if the colours are bold or not the linework all around is strong and steady, enchanting and overall a treat. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stellar eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully done and I love seeing the various hues and tones for the colours to create shading and highlights.
I so digging this story and the world that is unfolding before us. The myriad of characters and where they appear from the lowest to the highest caste and the characterisation associated with them is what makes this as fantastic as it is. Titan really knows how to find the right folks and they know how to transform one franchise into a another and make it work as if it were always a separate entity.