AWA Upshot Studios 2020
Written by Christa Faust
Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.
Coloured by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Dezi Sienty
April Walters is a hit-and-run victim of life – a middle-aged soccer mom whose inner fire has been snuffed out by her dreary suburban existence. When her teenage daughter goes missing under mysterious circumstances, April embarks on a harrowing mission to find her; a journey that takes her through the underbelly of her suburban community and sets her on a collision course with a massive crime syndicate and its lethal matriarch. Tested to her limits and beyond, April discovers that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.
This issue is where it all really kicks off. We were introduced to the story last issue and the characters which was more than enough to pique the curiosity of the readers’. It is here however that it really truly begins in earnest. I am completely and utterly impressed with how this story is being presented to the reader and even more so that AWA Studios & Upshot Studios seem to have allowed them to have as much freedom as they needed to tell this story. I mean the subject isn’t for the squeamish, and it happens all over the world and in this day and age we need more of a spotlight on this subject to hopefully find a way to squash it.
The way that this story is being told is phenomenal. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid out exquisitely. The pacing that we see is so perfectly rendered and how that leads to not only April’s own discoveries but it keeps building tension within the reader and how it makes you feel is as much a part of the story in my opinion as the story itself. There’s this connection to it that is unexpected in how it works way into the reader and that’s all due to how Christa is writing this. The character development that we see is sensational and as the issue moves forward and we see the changes in April occur it makes us like her all the more.
This is a brilliantly told story and with the layers we see and how modern technology is being utilised it really takes this to what I think of when I watch European crime dramas or Detective shows. It has this smart, intelligent writing to it that far surpasses what you expect to see.
Mike’s interior work here is just incredible. The linework that we see and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create such beautiful detail work is more than impressive. Also kudos on making April a mother who has a body that reflects who she is and not some thin model type of the white trashy and even overweight kind of look. She looks and feels like a real woman and that is something we don’t see enough of. The way that backgrounds are being utilised is interesting to say the least. Some panels don’t have it and in others it is innovative and fresh, you have to see the inside of the van to understand. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this masters eye for storytelling. I’m serious here folks. What Mike is doing feels so new and different to what we normally see and he’s leading the way in outside the box thinking and execution. The colour work is gorgeous as well. How we see the hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrates someone who understands colour and knows how they can be utilised in ways that you wouldn’t normally think work.
There’s a reason that this company has risen like a rocket to the top of the charts as it were. With some of THE best creators doing what they do best means that we get storytelling that is socially conscious and entertaining.