215 Ink 2018
Created, Written, Inked & Coloured by Chris Dreier
Pencilled by Giuseppe D'Elia
Colour Flats Assists by Shireen Dachelet & Amy Porter
Tales of the Dark Tunnel #2 - The Slumber Engine
The Travelling Trio find themselves pawns in a centuries old war between the Physician and Mr. Slumber two god-like beings. No matter who wins the universe will lose. The events here lead to the creation of an evil that will haunt the trio in the future.
Sometimes I wonder how folks come up with their ideas, how that light bulb just seems to click and suddenly it becomes clearer to them. Chris has come up with a pretty distinct and different story here and honestly it's terribly interesting. The idea of tunnel taking from reality to reality in order to fight evil and keep the beings safe it is a solid idea after all it worked well in Sliders, but they were able to control their trips if not their destinations. This group of travelling companions and their dynamic together isn't exactly Three's Company but they have developed at the very least a working relationship and understanding of each other.
The way that this is being told is great. The story & plot development here work together beautifully and while not always in sync that doesn't really matter because we get a darn good look at both of them and how they benefit one another as the pacing moves the story forward. The revelations, the information that we get and the twists and turns that seem to abound make for some interesting reading indeed. Heck even the villains monologuing which was pretty prolific made us ask more questions than giving us answers. This naturally engages the readers' mind in ways that are fantastic because the more we try to piece things together while off-script means that we are more invested in the story.
I am a fan of the way we see the characterisation here as well. Each of the characters has a very distinct personality heck even Steve-Steph while being similar in disposition have different personalities. While Atum never seems to want to change he does make some excellent observations and statements through all his grumblings, Grumpy Smurf indeed. So while they all find themselves in these situations their reactions while predictable are still intelligently done.
The interiors here are really rather good. Right off the bat the first page showcases how the linework is utilised through the varying weights to bring out some incredible attention to detail. From the log cabin to the trees and the rays of sunshine not to mention the trio themselves what we see is so well done and it makes you really want to keep going. I really like how throughout the book the quality of the interiors remains so constant. Then add in the colour work and wow I love how we see the various colours and how the tones and hues are utilised to create the shading. The utilisation of the page layouts show a really strong eye for storytelling. The utilisation of backgrounds at times blows me away! I mean when they are utilised we see such amazing details and they enhance the moment and bring a size and scope to the book. I mean looking at page 7 alone sigh it's amazing.
Chris has a really good, strong and interesting book here. It isn't at all like you would expect and it's one that I cannot recommend enough. This would be akin to why I always say go through Artist Alley at cons because it's finds like this one that bring out that excitement and fanboy, or fangirl, that first drew us in to begin with.