Alterna Comics 2018
By Bernie Gonzalez
Lettered by Wes Locher
After being captured by a double-crossing client, paranormal detective Ezekiel "Zeke" King must fight for his life against a sinister spell!
I praised the heck out of the first issue and yes it was well deserved. So I had high hopes for this one too and boy were those hopes delivered and then some! I absolutely adored this issue and how it all flowed and brought us more twists and turn than the route on Chutes and Ladders! Last issue ended with Zeke and Conrad being gassed to sleep by the butler or manservant Jasper. It was rather a stunning cliffhanger ending if I do say so myself so it’s fantastic that we open up there.
The way this is structured is great to see. As we get some bits and pieces of Zeke’s past before we get to hear Jasper’s version of events that have led them all to be in the greenhouse. There is so much here that brings this story to life like one of the shows that Roland hosted in his show. There is a beautiful synchronicity to the story as we see things continue onward. Bernie is amazing and what he does here has earned him my lifelong admiration and respect and someone who’s work I will always follow. If I haven’t stressed this enough, you are going to find creator’s whose career’s are worth following in places like this!
So the transfer of energies is nothing new but I like the idea behind all this happening. The one twist in the whole plot of it unfolding smoothly really kind of took me by surprise and that I hadn’t seen it coming from out of the mired bogs is a huge reason why I love reading this book! However that being said I was slightly taken aback at the thought that perhaps the story was that short and succinct but then again that’s what you get for assuming something heh. Bernie has me more than invested in this story and in the introduction, at least to me, of Zeke and what he does so much so that you, as a reader, get emotional over the whole deal.
I do like the interiors here very much so. Yes I want to see more utilisation of backgrounds in these pages it’s something I will always harp on or claim as they do flesh out the scenes, moments and give us a better sense of size and scope of the story. Maybe I did see that the faces are reminiscent Batman the Animated series but hadn’t thought about that till I saw that mentioned on their website, Midnight Mystery not the publishers. I do enjoy how Bernie makes them so expressive and shows off the emotions that the characters feel. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a nice solid eye for storytelling. Also love the colouring here and there some spectacular moments you have to see.
So here’s what I hope for, that this becomes an ongoing series of story arcs. Bernie has created something and someone that is likeable and has that charisma and charm to him that makes for what most think of when they think of the Noir Detective. Whether this is set in the present or the fifties the overall mood, tone and feel of this book is utterly amazing and fun! The work here is top notch and top of the pile reading and this really is an all-ages style series that’s good fun for a girl or a boy, slinky-slinky what a wonder… So the way this ends leaves us on another monster cliffhanger ending and the hits just keep on coming and I hope they never stop!
You need to try this book what’s the worse that can happen you waste a buck fifty? Please you won’t have wasted anything by giving this a proper chance!