Scout Comics 2020
Written by Sheldon Allen
Illustrated by Karl Mostert
Coloured by Warnia Sahadewa
Lettered by Matt Bowers
When a rogue telepath begins hijacking unsuspecting minds and bodies to commit vicious crimes, crooked Detective Annie Brunson is charged with cracking the case with her new straight laced telepathic partner, Faith Jones. Set among a backdrop of urban decay, exotic aliens, robots, and genetic mutations, Concrete Jungle is a science fiction police tale like no other.
I do love what Scout brings to the table and it’s books like this one that are so unapologetically crass, rude and vulgar and how much we love that it is. With no more censorship to curtail what is said and seen means that the character now sounds, says and does things that we do in our normal lives. Granted some cultures use more volatile language and others may be more reserved although I have to say that this is perfectly scripted and I love that we feel the words that they say because that my friends is what separates writers, Sheldon has this gift for really being able to get into the characters in a very short amount of time.
I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. That we are thrust into this no holds barred attitude from Annie without warning or expectation. Oh my goodness this is such good stuff and I have to say that with the dialogue showcasing as much of the character development as do their actions and reactions to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the characters, their world and all the craziness that a gorgeous science fiction has.
How this book is structured is amazing to see. It has that faced paced kind of television series, which of course films of the sort are mentioned, that we see from European Countries, thank you Netflix. That we see how well everything works together and how it creates the story’s ebb & flow is so nice to see. It is familiar in it’s feel but more original, unique and gutsy than you might imagine. So yeah this is something that I am totally comfortable giving this the highest recommendation.
I really like the interior artwork here. The linework is beautifully laid down and it just looks and feels clean and tight. So much so that the attention to detail that we see through the way that the varying weights and techniques utilised throughout. The open alone could’ve been done without words as they easily convey everything the reader would need to know. The work is that expressive and that recognisable. Though I am glad there are words. The backgrounds that we see being utilised here are nicely done and as they work to enhance the moments they also manage to bring us some great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such an amazing eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully rendered as well. How we see the various hues and tones within any given colour being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is exceptional stuff.
This really is a sensational debut to a new series. Thrown into the deep end without flotation devices the story immediately grabs you by the neck of your shirt and drags you along for one the most interesting, intriguing and startling journeys you’ll be taking.