Aftershock Comics 2019
Created & Written by Ollie Masters
Created & Illustrated by Eoin Marron
Coloured by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
The mayhem continues as Jackie finds herself rubbing shoulders with Jonny's high-flying musician friends when she's hired to track down an old blues musician's gui-tar.
I like this book a whole hell of a lot and it's precisely because it really doesn't fit into anything that is familiar. It is definitely out there and as such it's extremely thought provoking and engages the reader in some exceptional ways. There is most assuredly some diverse characters here and since it is the 70's that's something that stands out, now if we get a few gay men in this as well I would be even happier. But that is something else entirely.
I like the way that this is being told. Ollie has this structured so that we can follow a few paths throughout and be surprised a few times at the twists and turns they take. The pacing for this is wonderfully done as it takes the story & plot development and the character development forever moving forward. How all of this works together as both the story and characterisation weave in and out of each other is so well handled.
I love Raǔl and the way he opened the door and completely cocked the one guy. This is a character who is going to be incredibly underrated as the series keeps moving forward. I mean with what he does for Jackie he's pretty much everywhere and knows a hell of a lot more than anyone will ever suspect. Now this guy has a past that's hit upon and a future that well is pretty much unlimited and I have to say he's the most exciting character here. Still the character development here is sensational and the way that we see the characters not only interact with one another but how they actually fit into the story and how they move it forward. Ollie is writing on hell of an impressive story if ya ask me as he's assembled a cast of characters all of whom are more than they appear to be.
The interiors here are actually very well done. There is something about the linework and style with which Eoin has that really makes this stand out. There is some beautiful attention to detail going on within these pages and the guitars for example or the way we see backgrounds have this really nice way of bringing the focus out and getting to admire the setting the characters find themselves in. the utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show a good, strong, solid eye for storytelling. The colour work here is rather delightful to see. I appreciate the way we see light sources utilised to create the shading and shadows. The way colour blocking is handled is nice to see and even instances of some gradation, mainly in the blood we see, all conspire to really bring out the best in the linework.
I love the creativity and imagination that we see in every facet of the storytelling here. From the writing to the interiors, I mean hippies and their outfits, cocaine and booze, agents galore and murder most appropriate, I would've said foul but hey. Honestly I could hear The Doors playing in my head during the party so yeah it all completely works for me. I also like how the characters seem to know one another and cross paths every so often which is and isn't coincidental, after I don't coincidences actually exist, making what we see just that much more interesting.
Aftershock is home to some stellar storytelling who's creators think outside the box and deliver some wonderfully entertaining stories. This book showcases that and more, after all reading should be fun and take you on an adventure you wouldn't have otherwise and Ollie and Eoin certainly accomplish that.