Cloudwrangler Comics 2020
Written by Jeff Rider
Illustrated by Ismael Canales
Coloured by Roger Surroca
Lettered by Justin Birch
Previously…
When Major Sheffield Holmes & Captain Imogen Watson discover a suspiciously familiar murder, the clues lead to a safehouse in London’s East End. However, the house was not quite as safe as they thought!
So when I saw this at C2E2 (the only con i got in in 2020) I knew I had to have it. The premise was good, the artwork was eye catching and there was a blank cover lol. Blank Covers are my achilles heel as I’ll always want one. Plus if you haven’t heard I am a huge fan of self and small press books and it’s why I like to promote Artists Alley and walking around in general to find books from people and places you’ve never heard of before. The fact that this was and wasn’t a Sherlock Holmes book is what I wanted to know more about and trust me you should too. Descendents are the name of the game folks and they don’t have to be so far removed either I mean it can just be kids or grandchildren from anywhere in the family tree. They have the name and oftentimes they have similar traits so it only makes sense at least to me.
I am really enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. I like the flashback opening and how it plays into the main story and that the two, Sheff and Imogen, are very much alike in nearly every facet. The character development that we see in these pages is superb stuff and as we follow the characters through the situations and circumstances that they find themselves in we learn more and more about them. Which is precisely how it’s supposed to be. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way, and maybe a revelation or two as well, we see just how well everything here works together to create the story’s ebb & flow.
I love these indie books, I really do. We see some amazingly strong writing with how this is structured and how it’s layered with subplots and such. You can feel the passion the creators have for the work they are doing and all of it just shines on these pages.
The interiors here are utterly beautiful. The linework is impressive and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised throughout to show off the attention to detail is perfectly rendered. The way we see backgrounds being utilised and the patterns in the buildings, streets and even the furniture show the reader that this is a world that exists and one tht we want to be in. How we see the utilisation of the page layouts along with the angles and perspective in the panels show a very gifted eye for storytelling. The colour work that we see is amazing! How the lights give off their glow is gifted and gorgeous and I am still impressed every time I see it, multiple read throughs. How we see the hues and tones within the colour being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is sensational. There is such attention to detail in the trim and in places that is noticed but most don’t think about, see take for granted, and it’s so nice to see this level and quality of work.
This is my find of the year! I urge you all to get these, go to their website https://cloudwranglercomics.com/ or you can issue one at ComiXology. Check em out and support these folks because this really is what comics are about, fun, smart, thrilling stories that capture the imagination and engage your mind.