Tidalwave Productions 2019
Written by Fernando Ilor
Illustrated by Ángel Luis Bernuy Amaro
Coloured by Luis Maria Dumont & Jose Manuel Amaro
A nearby island may offer Jot and Aurea's team of soldiers refuge from the rage-inducing plague ravaging Spain. Even better, a nearby facility may offer answers. Can the team navigate a world gone mad without contracting the contagion themselves? And how do the mysterious newcomers know so much about the virus?
I am really enjoying this. There aren't that many zombie apocalypse end of the world stories out there that feel like this one does. We have these different characters with different viewpoints going through different things and then of course there is the imminent threat of the undead wandering around to complicate matters. Speaking of complicated Lolo oh the more I see of him the more I want to see of him, complications and all. I really am enjoying the way that this is being told and it makes me want to see more and more.
The story & plot development here as we see the sequence of events and how the reader learns information is extremely nice to see. The introduction of characters that we see and how we get to know them has a very nice flow of it. The character development that we see is extremely well done and with a growing cast of complicated individuals that is impressive for me to see. The way that all of this creates this ebb & flow to the story that is really interesting to enjoy. The overall way that the book is structured and how we see everything come to life and light is so darn enjoyable.
Military or not survivors are survivors and the way that we see them behaving is really very natural. This is the chaos that is created by the end of the world happening without any knowledge or forethought preparation. Flying by the seat of your pants and making it up as you go along that's really what life is all about, not mapping out your days or having some master plane it's all about living life to it's fullest. Why wait for the end of the world that you don't even know if you'll be a part of, it's time to just live life now. Regardless the way we seeing this unfold engages the reader, see what was just said, and when you are engaged in the story things become that much more. I feel like this is put together so well and the reader becomes invested in the story rather quickly and that's a great thing.
The interiors here are definitely interesting and I have to say that the linework is very well laid down. The characters have a life and personality of their own that comes through the work and furthers the characterisation beautifully. Of course I would like to see backgrounds utilised more prevalently but that's what me because they enhance the moments so much. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. The colour work here is really intriguing to me. The way that it has this watercolour wash style happening is beautiful to see. The way that various hues and tones within any given colour are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadows is extremely well done.
I keep saying that the more interesting and intriguing stories come from the least likely places and this is why you need to be paying attention to small-press companies. While Tidalwave may be known for their historical people line of books they also have these incredible stories that come from pure imagination, creativity, talent and skill.