Vault Comics 2020
Written by George Mann
Illustrated by Joe Eisma
Coloured by Michael Garland
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Earth is an ancient myth, long forgotten. Now, the word of the god-like Celestials is absolute, and they rule with brutal efficiency. When Joss, an Engineward, discovers and reactivates the head of an ancient ghoulem, she finds all is not as intended. Her destiny—and that of her world—lies somewhere far beyond the borders of her shantytown.
Oh This is going to be on your Christmas List, Christmas in July that is. Science Fiction is alive and well at Vault Comics and i have to say that this really is some cutting edge stuff and it’s only the introduction to the series. What really impresses me about this thus far is how we see the fall of civilisation and what happens with the kids that grow up afterward. Oral storytelling that gets passed down through the generations tends to change words without changing the meaning of them. Plus localised dialects play a huge role in how they learn to speak as well since phonetics is really pronounced in a world where the population doesn’t normally write. Now I am making assumptions about that but it's safe considering and then to see Joss being an Engineward and knowing how electronics work, that is in a class all of it’s own and I am greatly intrigued by it.
I am loving 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 keeps this moving forward beautifully. The character development is sensational to see. How we meet the characters, where we meet them and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances placed before them tell us a lot about them. Ichabod for example we get this great look at him and then when we see him again he’s noticeably different and we all know the reason why even if it’s not spoken aloud by them. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the world and it’s inhabitants we can see just how well this is structured, not to mention how it all works together to create the books ebb & flow.
There is something fresh and new about this which flows right alongside that feeling of déjà vu. It is that unshakable feeling you’ve seen this done before but then by the same token it’s never been done like this. So it will excite you and engage your mind as you work things out as you move through these pages.
I have got to say that if I hadn’t known this was Joe’s work beforehand then I wouldn’t have guessed it. This is his strong linework and he does utilise the varying weights and techniques to bring out this great attention to detail and yet it feels different, more mature. I still want to see more backgrounds from him though because when he utilises them, oh baby does it look spectacular! Also if we can see boobs we should see peen, its 2020 after all show some dangling bits! I do appreciate the men kissing, that was nice to see. I love the creativity and imagination that we see throughout the book. People, creatures and ghoulems all have these different feels to them that grab your attention and bring joy to the eyes. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a magnificent eye for storytelling. The colour work is phenomenal! I like how the hues and tones within the colours are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. I really appreciate seeing the flesh tones being utilised to add musculature to bodies without the aid of linework. It brings the work to another level.
This is why Vault Comics is in my Top 5 favourite publishing houses. You can’t soar sitting on the ground, you need to take that leap off the ledge to really fly, which is what we see these creators doing right here.