Gung-Ho: Black Sheep #3
Ablaze Publishing 2019
Written by Benjamin Von Ecksartsberg
Illustrated by Thomas Von Kummant
Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
After a rough start to their new life at Fort Apache, Zach and Archer are starting to make friends and fit in. But then a sudden, unexpected breach to the fort happens...white reapers penetrate the colony’s defences with quick and deadly consequences. Both brothers make choices during the breach that will have lasting impacts on their lives and those around them...
I am beyond thrilled that Ablaze started publishing last year because they have very quickly emerged as one of the best places to see some stellar storytelling take place. I love the idea of this book and the fact that we haven't seen those who reside outside the towns, those infected by the white plague, in the flesh yet has nothing but increase my curiosity and heighten the tension and danger that surround them. That we get to see at least one species which has been affected is great and I have to say that seeing this monkey is beyond creepy and just what we needed to see at this point in time.
I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. How we see the story & plot development through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented perfectly. There is as much attention paid to how the reader sees this world, this community as there is to the character development that is integrated into how things progress. The character development we see here is utterly marvellous and how it allows us to see the layers within folks and to question motives and pretty much keep our opinions of the characters constantly changing. The pacing we see here is superb and how it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way helps to create the books ebb & flow is fabulous!
With the way that this book is structured and how we see the complexity and the layers in both the people and story itself is one of the things that really sets this apart. It feels like there is something here that's complete, the world is complete and the story is a snapshot set within the world. We are witnessing fully formed characters who inhabit this world and we are just getting to know them with each turn of the page. Benjamin, however, already knows these folks and he's chronicling their journey for us. It is a very unique perspective to show us and it's rarely done as well as it's being done here.
The interiors here are rather interesting to me. I am this huge fan of how we see the backgrounds and how they are so incredibly well detailed. The colours we see and how gradation is utilised is phenomenal and the various hues and tones within the colours is spectacular. Plus I do like how the flesh tones are utilised to showcase musculature. The backgrounds we see help provide the depth perception as they bring a sense of scale and that overall size and scope feeling to the book. The imagery on the whole is so stunningly expressive and full of emotion that you find in some unexpected and subtle ways. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this masterful eye for storytelling.
This has all the feeling of a slow burn as it keeps building up the tension and characterisation to levels where you find yourself feeling like a part of the community. This sense of belonging kind of sneaks up on you and it is going to mess with you when characters start dying, and make no mistake there will be death here it's like preordained in some manner. The power behind the storytelling that we see in the work here is amazing in how we see it's depth. Ablaze is trailblazing their way into American markets with these stories and I want to see the flames rise even higher.
Ablaze Publishing 2019
Written by Benjamin Von Ecksartsberg
Illustrated by Thomas Von Kummant
Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
After a rough start to their new life at Fort Apache, Zach and Archer are starting to make friends and fit in. But then a sudden, unexpected breach to the fort happens...white reapers penetrate the colony’s defences with quick and deadly consequences. Both brothers make choices during the breach that will have lasting impacts on their lives and those around them...
I am beyond thrilled that Ablaze started publishing last year because they have very quickly emerged as one of the best places to see some stellar storytelling take place. I love the idea of this book and the fact that we haven't seen those who reside outside the towns, those infected by the white plague, in the flesh yet has nothing but increase my curiosity and heighten the tension and danger that surround them. That we get to see at least one species which has been affected is great and I have to say that seeing this monkey is beyond creepy and just what we needed to see at this point in time.
I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. How we see the story & plot development through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented perfectly. There is as much attention paid to how the reader sees this world, this community as there is to the character development that is integrated into how things progress. The character development we see here is utterly marvellous and how it allows us to see the layers within folks and to question motives and pretty much keep our opinions of the characters constantly changing. The pacing we see here is superb and how it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way helps to create the books ebb & flow is fabulous!
With the way that this book is structured and how we see the complexity and the layers in both the people and story itself is one of the things that really sets this apart. It feels like there is something here that's complete, the world is complete and the story is a snapshot set within the world. We are witnessing fully formed characters who inhabit this world and we are just getting to know them with each turn of the page. Benjamin, however, already knows these folks and he's chronicling their journey for us. It is a very unique perspective to show us and it's rarely done as well as it's being done here.
The interiors here are rather interesting to me. I am this huge fan of how we see the backgrounds and how they are so incredibly well detailed. The colours we see and how gradation is utilised is phenomenal and the various hues and tones within the colours is spectacular. Plus I do like how the flesh tones are utilised to showcase musculature. The backgrounds we see help provide the depth perception as they bring a sense of scale and that overall size and scope feeling to the book. The imagery on the whole is so stunningly expressive and full of emotion that you find in some unexpected and subtle ways. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this masterful eye for storytelling.
This has all the feeling of a slow burn as it keeps building up the tension and characterisation to levels where you find yourself feeling like a part of the community. This sense of belonging kind of sneaks up on you and it is going to mess with you when characters start dying, and make no mistake there will be death here it's like preordained in some manner. The power behind the storytelling that we see in the work here is amazing in how we see it's depth. Ablaze is trailblazing their way into American markets with these stories and I want to see the flames rise even higher.
RSS Feed
