Image Comics 2016
Written by J, Young & Brian Buccellato
Illustrated by Matias Bergara
Coloured by B. Buccellato
Lettered by Troy Peteri
Oh Hell No! Mhmm yep I said it and I mean it too because what the heck is going on here? I kind of dumbfounded, thrilled, surprised, pissed and all kinds of where the heck’s the next issue already.
As you may or may not know there’s a virus running around that turns people into flesh eaters, not zombies just people who crave human flesh otherwise they are normal everyday folk. This little town has so far been blessed by not having to deal with a lot exposure to people with this virus. So when it does come to town they are completely unprepared for it, oh and by the way it’s not like it’s “hit” town yet but it’s looming.
This down home southern drama is great and i’m loving every moment of it. Jen and Brian are really fleshing these characters out in the best ways possible. With good ole boy justice to settle disputes between them, for now, to southern manners and generosity well it’s kind of what we imagine through the good and bad. I mean let’s face it some of these good ole boys are stereotypes too but that’s okay because nothing here has been done in a mean or condescending way. It’s very much this is life in this town, these are the folks who live there and there ya go.
I”m also a big fan of the interior artwork here as well. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and how backgrounds are utilised throughout really do make this so much better. I really appreciate all the emotion the characters bring to page through facial expressions and body language. The flow of the book visually is great and does a wonderful job showing us both the small town way of life and the beauty of the area marked by moments of surprise and horror.
One thing I was pretty impressed with here comes from Troy. His use of a different font for lettering the whispering we see really makes a great impact. It’s not something we see a lot of and the letterer doesn’t always get noticed but here those moments we see it in play really do stand out.
So as Cash still looks for Jolene, and does anyone sing the Dolly Parton song when you see her name?, things are beginning to heat up. After his confrontation with Carl his ilk it’s time to get down to business of finding her.
I like that we keep seeing life in Willow and that these folks infected with the virus are in wings waiting to explode upon the unsuspecting population. This is an incredibly well written story with the best cast of characters and the perfect amount of tension!