Full Moon Comix 2019
Main Story Written & Lettered by Shawn Gabborin
Main Story Illustrated by Yusuf Idris
Coloured by Simon Robins
Wraparound Story Written by Brockton McKinney
Wraparound Story Illustrated by Jason Strutz
The Deadly Ten begins! Each issue takes you deeper into the Full Moon Cinematic Universe, with ten stand-alone tales of deviance and depravity! First up, fan-favourite Puppet Master character Blade goes on his first solo mission in a bloody attempt to keep Dr. Hess's research out of Nazi hands!
This is one of those stories that make you happy. I mean yes it features Dr. Hess and Nazi's and a lot of bloodshed but there's so much more to it than that. These two gentlemen here, Shawn and Brockton manage to really take us on a journey far deeper than anyone might expect. I like the opening here because what we get is this cute kind of Cryptkeeper character who I hope we'll see in future issues as we get spotlights on the other characters.
What we get here in the feature story is utterly sensational. Now I am not up to snuff on everybody here, like the young man Peter is. Though I do like that time frame is kind of set here with being Berlin in 1939 after Dr. Hess has been put into Blade's body. While we don't see much that's okay we know it happened and we don't need an explanation so by starting off kind of mid-stream as it were fuels the readers' imagination and creativity. So thus engaging the reader in all the right ways which is something that Shawn has mastered incredibly well.
The story & plot development and the character development that we see happening here is sensational as they weave in, out, through each other so that at times it's hard to tell the difference between them. Adding the pacing into the mix and suddenly the story takes on this whole new level as the ebb & flow of how we get information and revelations are amazing to see. Also that now that he's Blade, Dr. Hess cannot talk so all the time we see him he's reacting, watching and acting upon what is going on around him, thus in essence Shawn's writing a mute character and he's making look so much easier than it actually is.
This is where Yusuf comes in for Shawn that is. I will Jason's work is amazing because it's different and it feels incredibly mixed media inspired and it sets itself apart and looks so fresh and innovative. Yusuf is a delight and his work is a pleasure to see. The way he's utilising the varying weights of the linework to create this attention to detail is stupendous. I am thoroughly impressed and gobsmacked at how the work makes me feel, there are moments where the angle and focus of what we see can leave this big an impact (last panel page). Also I am really loving how we see the killing but don't see the gore. That too engages the imagination of the reader much like Hitchcock used to do. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stellar eye for storytelling. I am a fan of the colour work as well. The way that we see the various hues and tones in a colour to create shading, highlights and shadows is incredibly well rendered. Plus the flesh tones aid in bringing out musculature in faces which is beautiful to see.
I really am extremely impressed with this book on the whole. Sure it is an extension of the film but it also stands alone extremely well. Just the fact that we get to know more about Blade, Dr. Hess, while he says nothing at all is utterly remarkable and it just leaves the reader feeling a bit awed by it. This is where Shawn and Yusuf working together showcases that it's so .key to be able to be a team. If this is what we get to look forward to, then bring it on I am ready for them all, one after the other.