Comics Experience / IDW Publishing 2016
Written by Rich Douek
Illustrated by Brett Barkley
Colored by Jules Rivera
Lettered by Nic J. Shaw
So in a nutshell World War II spiraled out of control when wizards decided to enter the fray. This resulted in almost the obliteration of society as we know it and in its place a new society arose. In this new society magicians were the rulers and the lower class peoples with humans,goblins etc are forced to eek out a living on the scraps. In this new society technology became known as gutter magic. So now basically the world has this kind of Dungeons and Dragons feel. I have to say as far as concepts goes this is right up there with the best of them and gives me that interest factor that I crave.
I have to say that the interior artwork by Brett and Jules is really giving it to me too. Taking the basis of a city like New York that was devastated by war and then combining it that was magic creating something new and different is pretty visually amazing. Plus the attention to detail that is brought to the page really takes the cake here. The different characters have been brought to life splendidly and then the effect of magic really stands out color wise. Also the attention to detail here in the background in the faces in the clothing you name it at all really tight, clean and crisp.
So we open up with Cinder and Black-Tooth having broken into a magician's laboratory and are looking for something in particular. Right off the bat were drawn into the story and it's a creative way of using non-powered beings to actually overcome the obstacles they are supposedly facing. Meaning well a good old fashioned cat burglary technique. Which really does a nice job of immediately starting the characterization and getting us to like these two ne'er do wells.
He also very quickly establishes their relationship with one another and why they're doing what they're doing. Cynder has a past and a secret and he is part of a family of magicians yet he was born without the connection to magic. He's been searching for a spell that will once cast allow him to join up with the family legacy. In the meantime he's managed to ostracize pretty much everyone in his family and has caused a name for himself among the underworld that well there's a price on its head let's just put it that way. So far I like that we don't know how he and Black-Tooth have actually gotten to be partners in all this but that's a story that can be unfolded before us as the issues move on.
There's something really amazing about this almost Victorian feel to the setting that filled with gangs of the supernatural and or voodoo type that is appealing to me. It's definitely unique and not something you're going to see everyday let alone have someone pull off as seamlessly as this group has here. I'm taken with the imagination and creativity needed to bring all of this to life as well as it has been so far.
I mean hack as far as first issue goes we got the introduction to the characters, we get a plot driven story, and we get to meet a variety of different bad guys that are after our dashing duo. It seems like there's a lot going on but in reality if paste and set up so well that all of this information while a lot doesn't seem rushed, cramped or any of that stuff it's just it flows really naturally.
I think there's an opportunity here for this miniseries to take the industry by storm.