Skybound/Image Comics 2019
Created & Written by Brandon Thomas
Created & Illustrated by Khary Randolph
Coloured by Emilio Lopez
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Previously:
It was supposed to fix everything. Spencer Dales has spent most of his childhood trying to make his father Raymond proud, and prove himself worthy of casting beside him in the secret society of sorcerers known as the aegis. three hours ago, Spencer did just that, and father and son found a moment of peace between them. the victory was fleeting, shattered by the revelation that someone they both love is in grave danger, and only the strongest of magic's can save them. magic's they're not allowed to use…
So while the first issue left an impression on me I was a tad sceptical that I would find the second to hold up. I know I should never question these kinds of things but I am human and we all have a habit of doing that. Plus there were some things I wasn’t too fond of so I really wanted to see if that was the case here or not. There are moments when I feel like the English isn’t right but overall I see less of that then before and I know it’s a cultural thing but it still irks me for whatever reason. What Brandon does here is like tightening up the ship so to speak he’s got a damn good story going and he’s a talented writer and he’s using all his skills to bring us something different and unique and he’s succeeding.
I like the way that this story is structured. We get this incredibly clear idea of what Spencer is going through and his line of thinking. While part of me agrees with him there is another part that wishes he’d slow down and think things through a bit more. Still the impetuousness of youth is crystal clear and with how we see what unfolds in both the past and present is full of story & plot development that weaves in action and intrigue making the ebb & flow of the story quite enjoyable. The character development, or characterisation, we get is also extremely impressive to me as I understand Spencer in a way that not only makes him relatable to but makes him likeable to boot. Sometimes even when you know the skill and talent level of someone that they can still surprise you is what I live for!
Khary too seems to be changing my mind about how well he does his thing here. The linework that we see is incredibly nice as the varying weights are utilised to create this attention to detail. Okay yes I want to see more backgrounds being utilised, they’ve created this magical world and to have plain coloured backgrounds makes me feel a bit cheated and more so since when they are seen they are magnificent. I love the individuality of the characters and whether it’s the hair, facial hair or piercings everyone has their own distinct personality about them that we can see and that’s amazing. Aaron with his fade and dreads then that nose ring and tight body yeah dudes a stud.
The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show us a really solid eye for storytelling. The colour work here is great to see. While I would like to see the hair show us shading I can overlook that. I mean the teleport sequences with those colours and how they affect the characters and their clothing is a complete wow factor. The way colour blocking is utilised is rather nice as well and while I would prefer to see some gradation inserted as well what we see works wonders, that sand too, yeah wow.
I am thoroughly enjoying the way that this is being told and the story itself with all that encompasses and the interior artwork make this one hell of a good read. I look forward to seeing what comes next and if Spencer can start a revolution or is he just destined to fail as he tries to live up to impossible ideals his father sets?