Red5 Comics 2021
Written by Rodolfo Santullo
Illustrated by Jok
Coloured by Jorge Blanco , Meg & Jok
Lettered by Altercomics Studio
Before he was the greatest wizard of all time Merlin was a simple farmer. And then he met the thief Hector who whisks him into an adventure beyond imagining.
First thing I noticed right off the bat was the quality of the interior artwork. It’s what grabs the readers’ attention and makes them want to see and learn more. The opening is creepy as all get out and I like this because it sets the mood, tone and feel to the story. It also plays into the story later on and this I appreciate because it gives this purpose and less of that random feeling. Rodolfo really goes above and beyond in how he manages to pull all these different elements together to create this cohesive and interesting flow. With the introduction of Merlin and Hector into the story you can feel the shift in the way that the book is going to move forward. How they meet and the circumstances of their lives and how we are drawn into this is really extraordinarily well done.
I love, love, love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a magnificent job in bringing their personalities to the forefront. As their personalities continue to emerge it helps to define them as people and it really makes a strong impact on how we see them and the story. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the story, the characters and the world they live in the more I personally want to know and see.
I am very much enjoying seeing the way that this is being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge, grow and evolve. The layers open up these new avenues to be explored and this manages to add so much great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is immaculately achieved.
The interiors here are mindbogglingly gorgeous! The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of work within the attention to detail is astounding. How we see backgrounds being utilised to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is extraordinarily well rendered. The style of the work that we see is very distinct and very identifiable and it’s all Jok’s. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a superb eye for how colour works and how to maximise its effects.
We usually get a look at Arthur throughout various stages of his life but rarely do we get to see Merlin before his magic’s are in effect. To see him being this young, timid, reserved and unsure of himself and then hopefully watch him mature and come into his own, not right away mind you but over time and a few arcs, is going to be something to see happen. This really is off to a magnificent start that engages and invests the reader in the story thanks to its strong, intelligent writing and characterisation alongside these utterly brilliant interiors.