
Perfect Storm Publishing 2019
Written & Illustrated by Rob Jones
Pencils pages 2-7 Dick Giordano
Lettered by Joe Gutenberg
In this issue, Kate and the gang are on their way to find the remains of Alexander the Great. But what kind of adventure would it be if that was simple?
I am actually really glad that the holiday meant so few books would be hitting stands. It gives me a chance to go through what I have and do reviews for those books that have been sitting there patiently waiting for their reviews. I had forgotten about this one and when I opened it up I got kind of excited as I remembered rather clearly the first issue. That is a sign of just how good a book is when you see it, you remember it so clearly and you excited to read the issue. Plus pencils from Giordano on pages inside mean you know it's going to have some good stuff waiting for you!
I am pretty impressed with the way that this is being told here. We open up where we left off, which is great because the whole jumping forward is something writers tend to do when they aren't what is needed in that moment. It is also a perfect opportunity to learn what it is that's going to happen next. Now since they are looking for the remains of Alexander the Great they are going to need a refresher course in his history. Personally I love him and know his history so to see it here is utterly fantastic and with Giordano's work bringing it to life, sigh.
The character development we see here is amazing, even with Alexander who does not say a word, and the more we see the cast the better we get to know them. So the interactions and dialogue is really well put together and enjoyable. The story and plot development we see through the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is laid down really well. It has this strong presence about it this issue that captures the readers' mind and engages them in the story in some really good ways. This is the coalescing that I wanted to see and it's coming together beautifully. The pacing is strong and how it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns is extremely nice to see. All of these aspects work so well together to create the books ebb & flow as it also highlights the way this book is structured.
The interiors here are really great. While Rob does the wraparound Dick's work and it's a totally different style the two work extraordinarily well together. My biggest complaint, or only one really, is utilise backgrounds and since they are in a plane I should feel like they are in a confined space and I don't which is a little off putting. So when we see Alexandria wow that panel is what I want to see throughout the entire book. The attention to detail and how well the characters have their distinct looks is rendered incredibly well. Also the action sequence is done in a way that shows movement, but utilise the room so what we see is even more impressive. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show a good eye for storytelling. The colour work is laid out solidly, it could do with a few more hues and tones within the colours to create more shading, highlights and shadows like we see with the blues outside the window.
So how the sequence of events reveal that the group seems to be on the right tack and that a group of folks wish to impede their progress means troubles a brewing. There really is an air of excitement surrounding the book and while it has some issues it's still a learning and growing process. I saw the talent last issue and I see it working even better here and that comes from doing it. You'll never grow and evolve as a storyteller without actually getting it done and the more you do the better you get. Rob's got some talent here and I love watching him come into his own. Plus the final page oh god that is gorgeous!