
Caliber Comics 2018
Written by Massimo Rosi
Illustrated by Luca Panciroli
The more that I read from Massimo the more impressed with him I become. For me this was an unexpected idea that blossoms like a rare flower before our eyes. I mean a post-apocalyptic setting which has this old west field and cybernetic limbs on people. The story focuses on a pair of former resistance fighters turned bounty hunters as they take on jobs and work their way towards a certain goal. Don’t think this is a buddy story either because it really isn’t at least not right now as this is a dangerous time to live.
I like the way that this story is structured. The opening is dynamic and interesting and makes you question just what the heck is going on. We all know that the opening is the hook to reel in the reader and it has to be eye-catching in ways that make the reader want to read more. The narration and dialogue not to mention the dark nature of what we see all conspires to really showcase how dangerous this world can be.
From that moment on we see how Luc drives forward and we get a sense of why she does so. The characterisation here doesn’t really come all that much from what she says, though there is plenty of that going on, no it’s more in how we see her act and behave. It is like failure is not an option for her and everything she does is towards an end goal. Now I may make a supposition here and thing that what she’s doing is related to what we see at the Mecha Hospital but until that is confirmed it is only my best guess.
I am enjoying how the whole idea of this post-apocalyptic world has gone back into the Western Era of the United States but with more than a few twists. America proper it seems has a wall built around it, sound familiar, and plenty of what we’d call local warlords are vying for power to make themselves self proclaimed Kings. Then add the metal limbs and such and it makes for such a contradictory sounds mesh of ideas but it works beautifully together and that Massimo doesn’t fee the need to provide an explanation for how the world became this way add intrigue, mystery and piques the curiosity in the most splendid of ways.
I am a huge fan of the use of black and white interior pages with that grey wash. I love the linework here and how it can vary from those nice small thin lines to those bold sweeping ones and the way can create that attention to detail is glorious. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective showcase a seriously good eye for storytelling. There is some great emotion that is brought forth by the work and how facial expressions are shown that go a long way in expanding the story. Also the example of a local warlord made of Mayor shows that penis isn’t off the menu and that if it fits within the usage it will be shown.
There are some of the most unusual and interesting characters that we get to meet here. Some are common others aren’t and our main duo leads the way in bringing this world to life. Travelling the country to do what they must allows us to see the state of the world and it’s done in a completely natural way. Yes I look forward to seeing them grow and evolve and get the chance to see more of Max but the way things are I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Interesting with dry wit and a dark sense of humour wrapped up in this near perfect use of black and white interiors make this one to watch out for.