Markosia 2019
By Ian Duerden
It is 1784 in the Age of Enlightenment and these are the chronicles of the Society of Incredible Exploits. In the small hamlet of Grimsthorpe ancient and deadly forces are being released. Squire Sebastian Flint, a supporter of the newly discovered power of steam, and his brother Lord Lucien Flint, a champion of clockwork mechanisms, must solve the mystery of the Devil’s Bell, the myth of the Immortal Peddler and uncover a dark secret that has laid dormant for a thousand years in the heart of Deepdale Wood.
I really do love Markosia as they find these magnificent stories that need to be told. This is something that feels familiar or at least the premise does, and yet completely unique and different. It captures the readers' imagination in some really astonishingly beautiful ways that you don't expect but find incredibly alluring. Markosia doesn't get the coverage or love it deserves here in the states and that's a shame to me because I am telling you all the best stories come out of these small publishing houses and you really ought to start seeking them out.
I love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold is extremely well done. This is full volume and while it hits at somewhere around 100 and something pages the way chapters are utilised it brilliantly done. This is my introduction to Ian and his work and I have to say that I am hoping not to miss anything else he's working on. The character development that we see is sensational and it is interesting to see the first impressions either held up or changed throughout the course of the book. The way we see the circumstances and situations they encounter and how they act and react to them help show us what they are made of and it's great stuff. The pacing here is amazing and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way it works with everything else to create the books ebb & flow while highlighting the books structure.
The interiors here are a little more unique and I rather seeing them. It is obviously computer generated and while the effect is sensational it does almost have the feeling of a form of Cel's or colourforms but elevated. The benefits of this are huge though because the ship in the water on the first page is not something easily rendered by hand at least not in the way that we see it here. I love seeing how the characters are being brought to life and the clothing they are are being rendered with one exception. There is one panel showing Sebastian with no pants on and his shirt doesn't look right and he's got camel toe instead of the outline of his member, this is only time nothing feels right about what we see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a marvellous eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautiful as well. The hues and tones we see within the colours are sensational and the face that they utilise colours you don't think about in how we see the shading, highlights and shadow work is mindbogglingly good.
The story is strong, interesting and takes a familiar premise and makes it feel fresh and brand spanking new again. The layers within the story and how that is brought to life through the various encounters or reasoning's is really well done. There is so much to see and learn here and it's captivating, engaging and just pure damn fun! These are the kind of books I WANT in my life and chances are you will to.