
Red5 Comics 2020
Written by Jim Ousley
Illustrated & Lettered by Ben Sawyer
When a young boy discovers a never-before-seen lifeform, Syd Kiowa and her team of misfits must unravel its connection to a series of global attacks from another dimension.
Oh my goodness I am so happy that this is back! I loved reading the last arc and it was such an interesting idea and how it was set up and executed impressed me so much. So that we are here picking up where the last arc left off is something I think more books should be doing as it might not make it a monthly but at least each arc can lead into the next and still remain new reader friendly and able to stand alone. If you like science fiction and have an infinity for some detective work as well as a lot of action then this is going to be right up your alley. To me this reminds me of the science fiction novels I used to read as a teenager and there’s something to be said about that.
I am a fan of the way that this is being told. How we see the story & plot development moving forward through the pages with how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is really rather nice to see. I also appreciate the fact that the opening which grabs your attention and interest as it is supposed to do ties into the main story as early as it does. There is a fantastic look at how the story is structured and how it affects the reader without them even realising it. The character development we see is amazing to me and I like how we see them being fleshed out through their dialogue as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing here is fantastic and as it takes us through the pages revealing this new arc’s story along with all the new characters, twists and turns along the way. With the layers of storytelling within the pages and how we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is magnificent.
The interiors here are nice. They are a bit simplistic at times and a very distinct style all their own which I appreciate. I will say that the opening is a little more amateur than the main body of the story so there's an interesting dichotomy taking place. I love that we see backgrounds being so essential to the storytelling here. They enhance the moments and bring a great sense of depth perception, scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong eye for storytelling. The colour work is utterly magnificent! There are some truly inspired moments, those red beings in the opening, the green creature that was Ranek and so much more that showcase a wide array of skill in applying the colour. How we see the hues and tones within the colours utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work throughout really shows a strong eye for colour and how to get the most out of it.
Red5 Comics puts out these amazing stories and they are more than worthy of being in everyone's reading pile. This is incredibly well written and it is beautifully illustrated and it’s exactly what a damn good science fiction story is supposed to be.