Behemoth Entertainment 2021
Written by Massimo Rosi
Illustrated by Romiro Borrallo
Bakari, a boy dealing with a wretched upbringing, has dedicated his life to protect Sabium, the last albino rhinoceros on planet Earth. Sabium and his breed have been hunted due to their genetic code, which holds the properties to regenerate man. After the events of the first issue, Bakari is immediately thrusted into trouble as he, and Sabium have been found by the hunters.
The story this issue takes a turn I hadn’t seen coming and that’s one of the things that I really enjoy about Massimo’s writing. He manages to keep the reader on their toes not knowing what exactly is coming next. The misdirection is beautifully rendered and how we continue to see the backstory on characters woven through the current events is expertly handled. The story also manages to really engage the reader and sometimes it happens in this extraordinarily powerful way. I have to say this wasn’t at all what I was expecting and I’m living for every single moment that we see. The more of this that is revealed the more I am drawn into the story and the more I want to know so it’s done in such a precise way that seems to amplify the effects of the story.
I am really rather enjoying 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 narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continues to mould their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we see how things are and/or can play out.
I greatly appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. How we see the layers within the story opening up new avenues to be explored while exploring those already opened add so much depth, dimension and complexity to the story, in particular with the German. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably rendered.
I’m very much enjoying these interiors here. The linework is fantastic and how we see the varying weights being utilised to create the detail within the work is utterly sensational. How we see backgrounds being utilised to enhance and expand the moments are wonderfully handled and how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is phenomenal. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkable eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading highlights and shadow work shows a superb understanding of how colour works. The creativity and imagination that we see and how nice the animals look is incredible.
A story with a social and moral compass and it’s being told in such a strong way is amazing to see. That this isn’t preachy but it does allow the reader to draw their own parallels to the world we live in versus this one is something that will be somewhat different for each person. And with this level of writing and characterisation alongside these beautiful interiors showcase some mighty fine talent.