Aftershock Comics 2019
Written by Ryan Parrott
Illustrated by Milos Slavkovic
Coloured by Leonardo Paciarotti
Lettered by Charles Pritchett
The dethroned King of the Fairies’ sordid past is revealed as Oberon comes face-to-face with his former servant – PUCK. But is he friend...or foe?
Ryan really has outdone himself here. He has a skill and a talent to be admired for sure but this this series has been abso-freakin-lutely amazing since day one. With each issue we are reminded of the old tales of the Fae and you mustn't trust a thing they say and they will trap you into a deal that you cannot get out of if you speak. They aren't Tinkerbelle or any of the other sanitised versions that films portray them to be, instead they are tricksters and violent and emotional as all get out.
Here we see the former King of the Fairies as this handsome, charming if slightly devilish of a man an it suits him perfectly even down to his dress. Though honestly for Bonnie he appears this way but underneath is something else, something wicked, evil and nasty and when the time comes hopefully we'll see this as well. In the meantime however, the characterisation and character development that we are seeing is extraordinary. Not just on him either as all the characters in this book get the same treatment. Each character is fleshed out in ways that suit them and yet leave enough open for more interpretation as the situation allows.
The story & plot development here with this stellar pacing allows for us to really get into the story and then whammo it's over and we're left high and dry eagerly awaiting more. We also get to meet Puck who is Oberon's former manservant before Nicholas who also bears a grudge against his former master. I do love the dialogue here as well as the suggestion that the Oberon has a type and that he and his manservant's tend to share more intimate moments together in flagrante. This is how the Fae are and how they should be seen, so that Ryan is doing this so very well at least to my eyes and ears just puts another notch on the lipstick case.
Milos shines with the work he's doing on the interiors here too. The creativity and imagination that we see in these pages it utterly marvellous to behold. The fashions are beautiful and creative and evoke this kind of old school nobility that suits the story so perfectly. The utilisation of the page layouts is extremely well done and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a stellar eye for storytelling. This world, this setting is a great opportunity to really see some backgrounds enhance the moments and bring this sense of size and scope to the book. And to see Puck walking the pillars yeah that's what I am talking about. The colour work is bloody marvellous to see. From the way we see the colours in the clothing to the a candle illuminating various colours is sensational as the colour seems to bleed.
The events that we see unfold and how we hear Oberon's narration it has this complete chilling effect on me as a reader. This is what is intended as well and the fact that Ryan is so able to expertly portray this through his writing is just amazing to me. Here we are getting lost in the world of the Fae and it's everything I could hope it would be and so much more. That we can explore worlds like this in comics is why the medium is such a vivid and pivotal way to get lost in worlds we'd never otherwise know.