Aftershock Comics 2016
Created & Written by Ray Fawkes
Illustrated by Marco Failla
Coloured by Stefani Rennee
Lettered by Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Dominique Vasko leads what may well be the greatest team of con-artists in the world. For years, they’ve been ripping off high-powered targets and getting away clean. But now they've attracted the attention of people playing on a whole other level--and things are getting weird….deadly weird…
Well Ray certainly hasn’t wasted any time here in setting up Dominique with the Gods and their tests. I was hoping they’d have watched a couple of jobs so we could’ve seen more of them in action, it’s very Breakout Kings to me. So instead what he did was use the whole trip, it’s like a great acid trip they are on, to spotlight those in the room with her and show us their lives before being a part of this crew.
I like the M.C. Escher style visuals they are all dealing with and how their minds are trying to cope with it. That Dominique had seemingly no problem navigating this strange new landscape shouldn’t surprise anyone as she’s been the focus of the Gods to begin with. What I found more interesting is how the others reacted and their connections to her. This kind of unexpected characterization was not only absolutely delightful but incredibly well done too. Kudos to Ray for being able to flesh out the characters this way amidst the chaos of what was happening.
Then there’s Felicia being on the outside and taking off while wrestling with herself about leaving them behind. I liked that she had to remind herself that this is a job and not to let personal feelings get in the way. That she needed to remind herself of that means they mean more to her than she’ll ever admit. It’s another short burst of great characterization.
Marcelo really does a magnificent job on the interiors here. The ebb and flow of the story through it’s pages and panels with angles, perspective and all the backgrounds are perfect for the way the story unfolds. You really get a sense of what they are going through and the imagery just fascinates you as you experience what they do.
So we know that Dominique is the person they are interested in. However with what we see and how she’s taken leaves something else up in the air. Those in the room with her who were connected to her through that stream are going to be affected by this in some way shape or form that is as yet undisclosed. Meaning they are going to put their heads together and figure out what the heck actually just happened and try to go rescue Dominique from wherever she’s at. At least that’s my hope after all a crew like this only comes together once in a lifetime and if they are as good as I think they are they’ll give these Gods a run for their money in trying to out maneuver them.
This has just the right mix of real world qualities, con-artistry, thievery and skills mixed with the idea that Gods do exist to create a fantasy world that seems so real. With great imaginative writing and artwork this is one a series that will take you places and teach you things you may not have expected to learn.