Dark Horse Comics 2021
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Coloured by Hilary Jenkins
A no-nonsense Secret Service agent and his new-age partner investigate a mysterious box known as the ''Fear Case,'' which has appeared throughout history at sites of disaster and tragedy. Whoever comes into possession of this case must pass it on within three days or face deadly consequences. The agents must track down this Fear Case while staying one step ahead of a psychotic cult and the otherworldly forces behind the Case's existence.
This isn’t the first time that I have heard of this legend and the fact that the boys are bringing this to life is not only phenomenal for me but how they are doing it has their own unique point of view that sets it apart. Already with the way that this is being told I can see it from a cinematic perspective that quite honestly I wasn’t expecting to do. I do like the cast of characters that we are being introduced to and the profession and how we are introduced to them coming on board with this particular case is extremely well done. When you see these names attached to a project you know it’s going to be something extraordinary and when they do a story together forget about it, it’s going to be the talk of the town.
The way that this is being told is utterly bloody brilliant. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented. There is a logic to the way we see things and yet there is so much about the story in general that is completely illogical by its nature and the way that they play off one another is just beautifully done. The character development is pretty amazing and as we get to know these characters and how the relationship between is and continues to grow is both surprising and intense. The pacing that we see is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story and the driving force behind it which creates this amazing whirlwind of story and excitement.
How we see this being structured with the layers within the story emerging is something that is impressive to witness. Matt’s already quite the skilled storyteller and to see him grow even more is beyond what I thought was possible. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow is just gorgeously rendered.
The interiors here are stupendous! I mean really this isn’t the work I have come to associate with Tyler and that it’s a version of that it has this whole new aesthetic to it that blows my mind. The linework is gorgeous and the style is unmistakable and yet there’s this new fresh feeling to the work that feels tighter and cleaner than usual. While I would still like to see backgrounds being utilised more I can let that go because of the quality of the work Tyler does and how he’s able to bring tension, emotions and feeling to the work. Plus the composition within the panels is just brilliantly handled. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels we see this masters eye for storytelling on full display. Hilary is the perfect choice to colour her husbands work. She understands how colour works and how to use brushstrokes and the various techniques that draw the various hues and tones within the colours forth to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.
It is books like this that keep me coming back to Dark Horse Comics. This is the kind of storytelling that we want to see, that we will talk about for years to come and it’s what ignites a passion within fans and readers’ of the work.