Second Sight Publishing 2021
Created & Written by Karla Nappi
Illustrated by Marianna Strychowska
Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual
All evidence points to Robert Thunnel, head of the dangerous spiritual cult, The Asclepius Project, and Matt's former mentor, as the responsible party for Matt's kidnapping. Fearing for Matt's life, Sean races to rescue him while the hunt for the mole at Regenerist Tech uncovers some hidden truths about a trusted employee.
I absolutely love this series and that’s because we simply don’t see anything of this nature on stands today. I mean c’mon a story about transplants that has espionage, intrigue and a mystery all tied into this life saving epic drama. We’re seeing how jealousy and rivalry can make a man do some of the harshest things a man can do and kill people to prove their point all while utilising misdirection to mask their identity. The complexity we see within this story sets Karla apart from so many writers that are currently putting out some top notch stuff of their own and to stand out from the crowd like she’s capable of is phenomenal to me. This is the kind of book that excites me because it’s unique and it is so well written.
I am very much enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is exquisitely rendered. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter and this helps to flesh them out like normal folks. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the more intriguing the book becomes.
How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen do such wondrous things to the reader. The layers we see here opening up different avenues and letting Sean explore the world in ways that will change him and the employees is something unexpected and it’s this that adds more depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.
The interiors here are fantastic. The linework is absolutely exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality to the detail we see within the work is truly astounding. That we get these backgrounds to go along with the story is amazing as they enhance and expand the moments to perfection. They also work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is unbelievably good. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work really are impressive and show such a nice understanding of how colour works.
This issue delves so much deeper into Matt’s life and backstory and where he was the day the pandemic started. This kind of look and the impact the pandemic has had on him gives us a new respect for what he’s trying to accomplish and by getting in bed with the devil to do it while trying to maintain his integrity. With some beautiful writing and stellar characterisation and this stunningly gorgeous artwork this story grabs hold of you subtly and it simply doesn’t let its grip go.