Action Lab Danger Zone 2016
Written by Ram V
Illustrated by Nick Barber, Jason Lewis & Kel Buttall
The shadowy leader of the Temurian inquisition, Arom Rotche, has unconditional pardons on offer if they succeed but has little to offer in terms of support. Left with no choice but to accept, Stillian and Veina set about recruiting others to their mission. Their first task? To steal taxes from a governor and use the gold to secure the release of a prisoner from the most notorious prison hold in all the kingdoms. But all is not as it seems at the Barren Halls….
I have no idea what it is about stories like this but they are certainly up there in the realm of interest for me these days. Maybe it’s because I miss RPG gaming and there’s an element of that to this or because it’s like Stilian is this ne’er do well who seems to always get out of situations in some way, shape or form. He’s kind of that lucky son of a gun who has this unparalleled luck when it comes to surviving and getting things done so they suit him. Either way the way Ram is writing this makes me want to join a campaign and have some sheer unadulterated silly fun.
If Ram is going to continue gathering Stilian’s team this way then we’re in for one heck of a ride. I like that he’s taking time gathering his ensemble and that in the meantime his benefactor is still moving forward with plans of his own. All the while keeping an eye on him with his own men to ensure that he’s doing what he supposed to. I appreciate that we get the time spent on this assemblage and that the characters and the characterisation that goes along with that. Ram really does give us this great look at these folks and how they not only react to their current situation but how they relate to one another.
The current state of the prison shouldnt have come as any sort of surprise to me but it did and that Ram did this makes things much more interesting. Of course upon arriving and seeing the exchange with the man posing as the Warden there really was no other way for this to play out. I didn’t even mind the then and now, the trip there versus what happens there, style of storytelling as it doesn’t really spoil the fun of seeing how they get to that point.
There really is a nice little charm that we get from reading this. The amount of background information that we get that only serves to further advance the story and why Stillian has chosen this first person to join them.
The interiors here are not bad at all. They have just enough detail give off that look at personalities and make each person unique. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and backgrounds really help the story flow nicely. They also add that charm that we need to really go along with the words to make this story what it is.
Action Lab Danger Zone has some the most unique, fun and interesting series around full of this incredible storytelling. This stays with you after reading it and makes you want to further explore other things and you can’t ask for more than that.