
Action Lab: Danger Zone 2015
Written by Shawn Gabborin
Illustrated by Antonio Ontiveros
Coloured by Daniel Morales
So here we are with the beginning of a new arc and if you haven’t been picking this up yet but have wanted to or listen to me as i’m telling you to pick it up this really is a great issue to start with. One of the aspects of this series so far that i’ve really been enjoying is that Shawn has emerged as one of these great storytellers who can weave a great tale and give us some excellent characterization along the way. I also greatly appreciate that the death’s we see inside aren’t gruesome, we see the attack and the aftermath leaving the reader’s imagination working on overdrive filling in the details. A much more powerful tool than you realize.
Now this issue opens up on a highly creepy note as we see this guy dancing with a doll. Yeah a life sized doll with those open eyes and blank stare. It’s creepy mainly because of the dialogue but the doll itself you can’t tell if it’s one of those newfangled ones with the flesh and working parts or a marionette style made of wood. Either way it’s like the opening of an episode of my strange obsession.
Antonio and Daniel do a really incredible job on the interiors here. I love the guy dancing with the doll he’s so well defined. Their depiction of the men who work for Anapa and the kids in this place it all looks, feels and has that air of just perfect eeriness. Plus the puppets themselves are wonderfully done. The use of pages, panel layouts and even the minimalistic backgrounds keep you on edge never knowing when something is about to happen.
So the group is now with Anthony a young boy in an institution and he’s looking for someone and needs their help. Camille is the girl he’s looking for and from what i’m able to ascertain she’s the doll we saw in the beginning. She’s been up to no good and unless I miss my guess responsible for the death of a few patients that caused Anthony some discord. Also the introduction of another young girl whom he befriends and the whole unknown idea of this hospital they are in well it’s just fantastic.
You have to see how this issue plays out. It’s got a mystery to it that needs unravelling and it has all the hallmarks of this unexplained horror stuff that we find so appealing. Like who Anthony really is, how they hooked up with him and just what brought Camille to life in the first place. She’s very much this whole possessed kind of doll that Madam Amon would’ve had. There’s so much depth to the story and what’s happening here and this young man has such a larger role to play apparently and while they don’t need a recurring character it wouldn’t hurt to have one introduced that actually survives for a change.
While this has always been cult fan favorite franchise Shawn and company are bringing it back to mainstream prominence here with this exceptionally good storytelling. This goes beyond traditional horror and is able to be among some of the most interesting, smartly written and beautifully illustrated books on the stands today.