1First Comics, Inc 2016
Created & Written by Orlando Harding
Illustrated by David R. Miller, Jr.
Ink Assists by Vic Moya
Coloured by Paul Little & Steve Cobb
Lettered by Kel Nuttall
Several minions have escaped the depths of Hell and are now in hiding on Earth. Most live amongst us as human beings keeping a low profile. However, some have become so brazen that they have begun roaming the Earth freely violating and sometimes even feeding on humans. Absconder warrants now issued- Dyana, a blue blooded death demon ordained as the most insidious and vicious bounty hunter Hell has ever produced must serve them. She's a detective investigating demonic crimes and is responsible for tracking, capturing, and deporting each and every creature back to Hell.
Two things before I start this review, one is I hate trying to read something this long on the computer, graphic novels over 90 pages should be sent via mail. Also there is something here worth reading which is why I am doing this review, however, I am sorry but when the page count is close to 200 it should really just be a courtesy, one that should be returned with a guaranteed review.
Having said this, I rather enjoyed the heck out of this. There are a few things in the beginning that I feel are a bit redundant but this should a learning and growing experience. I get the whole recapping for your friend but at some point it should've stopped, more so once we get to the point where he's defeated instead of seeing that twice. There was just something how the length of that seemed to go on forever. It is also a double-edged sword when it comes to the introduction as one hand the length makes her feel less a bad-ass then she is. We also get to see her get ready and get a little insight into her as a person so either way it works.
I do like the way that this is being told and by having it as the first volume we are really able to get a great sense of who these characters are. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is really well presented. I think that th3e way we see events unfold and how the girls ritual is seen goes a long way in bring us some dynamic timing and leads me into the next thought. The character development we see is fantastic and especially when it comes to the girls and Azrael is phenomenal stuff. There are certain moments that kind of define them, their relationship to one another and how their separate worlds work which captures the readers mind and imagination. The pacing is solid, even with how I feel about the opening, it moves at a nice pace that as it takes us through the pages it reveals the twists and turns along the way. All of this works in concert to show how the book is structured and brings us the overall ebb & flow.
The interiors here are gorgeous! I love the linework we see and how the varying weights are being utilised to bring us this level and quality of attention to detail. How we see the cement or cobblestone as well as the brick facades wit their weathering are all those simple little touches that make an impact whether the reader realises it or not. Also for me that the panels are full, filled so rarely a blank space is something I appreciate more than you know. While it does give the eye places to look the placement means that the eye is inevitably drawn to and back to our main characters. The depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope that we see is rendered extremely well thanks to all we see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show off this masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work too is gorgeously rendered. I like how we see the hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. I am truly impressed with the hues and tones of the skin tones in particular it's nice to see this range being shown.
This is a great book. It is fun, exciting and shows us a different look at the agents of heaven and hell. The dialogue is definitely adult at times and this darker nature of Dayna and what she does is offset with some brilliantly placed humour. During this time we're all looking for something new and different right? Well this is it folks this is what you should be reading and here's where you can get all the details and so much more. http://nightstalkercomic.com/index.html