Ablaze Publishing 2021
Written by Benjamin Von Eckartsberg
Illustrated by Thomas Von Kummant
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger
Archer has been banished from the colony, falsely condemned for the rape of Celine. But Zack doesn't believe in his brother's guilt, so an expedition is launched into the danger zone. Unbeknownst to the rest of the community, the teens go to look for Archer...if he is still alive. The expedition will not be without risks though, nor without unpleasant surprises... Back at Fort Apache, confusion reigns and tensions are at an all-time high, as the adults look to safeguard the young and keep the colony intact. But with a "white wave" approaching, is it already too late?
I will keep saying that this series is being perfectly published. Arc after arc so that each one is a complete story that ties into the larger one that started with the very first issue is brilliantly rendered. Even better is that you can jump into these arcs with the first issue and follow along making each one new reader friendly and considering how far in we are that’s quite a miraculous accomplishment. Also now that we’ve seen these giant man-eating albino baboons I am dying to see more of them so whenever they pop up I get excited, not sure exactly what that says about me but oh well.
I love 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 perfectly presented. The character development is fantastic and as we see the dialogue, character interaction alongside the way we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter help to flesh them out more fully as people. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re drawn into the drama of the personal connections.
How we see this being structured and how the layers continue to grow, strengthen and emerge we are really privy to such amazing storytelling. This is where the depth and complexity within the storytelling shines the most and it’s great to see how this constantly changes the dynamics. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is greatly achieved.
The interiors here are beautifully rendered. I love seeing how computer generated artwork can be so expressive, lovely and charming as we see the linework through its varying weights are utilised to create such intricate detail work. How we see backgrounds being so integral to how we see the story and how it works within the composition of the panels bring such great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book is utterly marvellous. 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 divine! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcases how to add depth and dimension to the work through the application of colour.
For a while now I've been wanting to see what happens when the kids band together and defy the adults and I am finally starting to see this begin to happen. Granted there are those among the kids who believe that he raped Celine and its this schism that’s going to either be their downfall or end up uniting them when the truth is finally revealed for all to see. The adults know the truth and they’ve been using this to their advantage really adds that nighttime soap opera aspect that should be the next thing to blow up in their faces. There is so much going on here and it’s absolutely glorious to see it all and wonder and wait for what you think is going to happen.
This is one of the all-around strongest books on stands right now and it’s been that way from the very first issue and from the looks of things that will never stop being true!