Dark Horse Comics 2020
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Wilfredo Torres
Coloured by Nayoung Kim
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
A best-of-the-best secret agent with memories he couldn't possibly possess, a mystery writer in her 60s who spends her retirement solving crimes, a man of action with mysterious drugs that keep him ahead of a constant string of targeted disasters, a seemingly omnipotent terrorist organization that might be behind it all . . . And they're all connected to one man: a science-fiction author with more information than seems possible, whose books may hold the key to either saving reality or destroying it. A mind-bending story that ties in with past Kindt works (Revolver). Action, mystery, and altered reality!
This is utterly fantastic! Forget about it tying into Matt's past works at least for now because this, this is bloody amazing! The opening is stupendous and I love how we see this whole James Bond style action adventure bit and then how the storyline shifts. There is a uniqueness and a familiarity to the story and the dichotomy of it and how well it's presented showcases why Matt remains one of the most interesting and intriguing writers of our generation. He is able to draw us in, capture our attention and our imagination as we become engaged in the story.
The way that this is being told really is brilliant. The story & plot development we see through the sequence of events unfolding and how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. I love the way the transition from the opening into the next part occurs leaving the reader wondering about what is going on. It engages the readers' mind and takes you off-script using what you know or what you think you know to fill in the blanks. It is kind of fun and thrilling and that Matt utilises this so well and so quickly is no surprise. The man has this knack, skill and talent when it comes to writing that it is nigh on impossible to not lose yourself in the story. The character development is amazing and all the word play and the actions and reactions due to circumstances and situations just helps give us a better picture of them. The pacing is sensational and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way helps to create one hell of a great ebb & flow to the book.
I really like Wilfredo's interiors here. The linework is extremely nice to see and the way that the varying weights are utilised to bring us some really good solid attention to detail. I am the guy who will always say this, this needs backgrounds. When we do see them they are beautifully utilised to show depth perception, scale and the overall sense of size and scope of the story I just wish that there weren't blanks in between two panels that have them. That is a pet peeve of mine. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is nicely rendered as well. The colour blocking is effectively utilised with the shades and tones within the colours for the shading, highlights and shadow work.
The layering we see in the story is brilliantly done and there are some moments that comes out as pure genius. I can't spoil what those are but they wonderfully delightful. I may be right and may be crazy and it just might be a lunatic Cord is looking for. Either way the whole idea here is really something and it doesn't become crystallised in your mind until the last few pages and then your curiosity becomes piqued even more if that's even possible, and yes it is. Matt has built a multiverse at Dark Horse and it is quite possibly one that has existed in his mind since his first book at Dark Horse.