Aftershock Comics 2020
On Sale March 4th 2020
Written by Zack Kaplan
Illustrated by Piotr Kowalski
Coloured by Brad Simpson
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
The Future. Ultra-modern megacities reward millions of their citizens with a completely funded life, with every need met, from food to housing and healthcare, in order to compete in an economic power struggle in which population is key. But a few rural residents still cling to their independence in what last American small towns are left. When a nearby megacity pressures the people of a small town join up or else, a young teenage girl named Clem will learn how far she'll go to defend her principles.
Welcome to a future that is being sold as utopia by those living in the city, the megacity in the Midwest of the United States. I have to say I was excited to read this when it was sent to me, I love Zack's writing and I always, always rave about Piotr's skill as an artist and illustrator. Plus anytime there is a future that looks too good to be true it usually is so finding that dark side is what I am sure most of us are going to be looking for. This is already off to a sensational start and when you read the book you realise that this isn't like anything else we've seen with similar vein or slant to it. Usually a future city like this will have mutated humans or the dregs of society, too dangerous to have around. So I really like how this is being presented.
I really like the way that his is being told. For an introductory issue this is one of the best we've seen lately. The opening does what it needs to do and introduces us the new way of life in the megacity that seems to have no name. Our tour guides seem well practised in the art of the sales pitch as if they go through the motions rather really sell you on it. The meat of the story however is where the real tale begins. I like seeing that those living outside the city appear like they live out in the old western frontier instead of in the future. The way that these guys are able to really capture a not so apocalyptic future and merge it with elements that the reader can find familiar.
The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented. This has a natural flow to how the events are seen and it makes for good strong reading. The character development is solid and as far as meeting them for the first time goes Zack does a magnificent job in getting us an immediate feel for the characters. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns it works with everything to create an intense and dramatic ebb & flow.
Piotr is a bloody brilliant artist and as we see through the strength of his linework and it's varying weights showcasing this level of quality in the attention to detail. I don't know how he manages to do it but there is such a difference in the way we see the city compared to the towns on the outskirts. From this harsh, cold and sterile environment to this warm, inviting and alive feelings is mindbogglingly impressive work. The utilisation of the backgrounds is phenomenal and an integral part of this storytelling process. The way they work within the composition in the panels to bring out depth perception, scale and that overall sense of size and scope is impressive. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show us this masters eye for storytelling. I really like the colour work we see here a well. Brad really is able to bring the futuristic and the grittiness of each sector to the work that helps us understand each one. The way that we see the various hues and tones within the colours create the shading, highlights and shadow work is astonishingly well rendered. Just to see how well he understands how colour works and which colours are needed and can be utilised is sublime.
Everything you could possibly need to see how things work, escalate and the catalyst for how the books seems to need to move forward is right here. In what configuration well that's for you to discover when you pick up the book. This won't be anything you are expecting it to be and that alone shakes up the status quo considerably well. This is a creative team powerhouse and they've managed to put lighting in the bottle here and I cannot wait to see how the rest of this story unfolds!