Scout Comics 2019
Created & Written by Alexander Banchitta
Created & Illustrated by Robert Ahmad
Lettered by Fred C. Stresing
Chris is saved from the Headless Horseman and Claw by his brother, Rick and Sarah, a Knight Templar gone rogue before they race off with an injured Chris to confront the Knights Templar and attempt to save the citizens of Salem before it's too late. They fail to recognise, though, the intense influence the headless horseman holds over Chris, and how dire the situation has become.
I am a fan of this story. I like the idea of the Headless Horseman being some kind of Demon conjured up and exacting it's wrath or some kind of revenge upon the town of Salem. While it feels similar to Sleepy Hollow this version is much more complex. After all the Sheriff and most of the town have been made into Knights Templar of the most twisted sense. How we see this coming to life before our eyes and showing the basic folly of man is interesting and the whole power struggle of one man wanting so desperately to be the leader that his hubris could be their downfall is perfectly rendered.
The story & plot development that we see is somewhat straight forward. The sequence of events we see unfold and how the reader learns information however show a complexity to the storytelling that is a sheer delight. The character development is super strong and the more we see of the characters the better start to know and understand them and what drives them. Like any good story the situations they find themselves in help them to grow and evolve as people. Plus a new character has been introduced here and his shall we say timely arrival is a great way to bring a cliffhanger ending to the issue. With the pacing, which is good by the by, we see the twists and turns come throughout help to create this marvellous ebb & flow to the book.
Have you ever picked up a book and thought hmm I am not sure this is for me, but, the story content is something you rather enjoy reading about so you give it a shot? Now that we're in the third issue I have had the opportunity to really get to see Robert's work and while I would never have picked this up on his work alone, I have found myself somewhat enchanted by it. Going in with an open mind to read a book and then have the art or story grow on you till you find it's something you rather enjoy is why we take risks. Never judge a book by it's cover isn't that what they say and it's true so don't be so quick to dismiss something and instead give a proper go and you might find you have found some new creators to follow.
Speaking of the interiors I have to say what separates this from say an all-ages book is the way that we see the colouring. The linework is nice, strong and laid down in some nice ways even if we don't see a lot variance in the weights. It's the colour choices and how they are utilised here that makes this what it is. They manage to create this creepy kind of eerie vibe that is perfect for the story content. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a good eye for storytelling. I personally would like to see more backgrounds being utilised because when we do see them the enhance the moments beautifully and bring a nice sense of size and scope to the book.
This is wholeheartedly a truly entertaining story and it's got some layers to what we see and the characters in question are absolutely wonderfully fleshed out people. There is some mystery, drama, horror and maybe just maybe a hint of romance here that makes this a find addition to your reading list.