Monolith 2016
Written by Josh Dahl
Illustrated by Shawn Langley
Lettered by K.J. Kaminski
Icicle is a super villain. On a heist, her crew was betrayed and murdered by the ir boss, Coil. Among the dead was Icicle’s boyfriend, Piledriver. Icicle escaped into the villain underground and swore revenge. Coil used the plunder to ally himself with The Syndicate, rising to the top of Rapid City’s criminal community. Agents Andrew and Hartborn are after Coil and suspect that Icicle might lead them to him.
I’m really liking this story a lot and the direction Josh has been taking it, especially in this issue, is nice to see. The characterization has been evolving since issue one of this and it continues to grow and evolve and as we see Icicle go through what she is and actually changing before our eyes well it’s a sign of good solid writing. Josh is doing a great job with this series and it’s nice to see him grow and become a better writer with each issue that i’ve read.
We’ve seen stories about villains before but this one takes a different route. Betrayal and murder lead you down a path that you may not want to follow but Icicle is a villain already and she’s really been faced with a new set of challenges. That we see her show restraint when it comes to the cops and civilians really kind of evolves her character in ways that are wonderful to see. With each issue I really like her more and more thanks to her characterization and actions.
I also have to say I am liking Hartborn as well. Seeing him use his skills as a detective and tracking down Stephanie, Icicle’s real name, the old fashioned way, using a common sense and a photograph.
Things seem to be heating up as the story is picking up it’s pace and a showdown between Icicle and Coil the real question is who is she going to turn to for help. It seems those she and Piledriver were close to have gotten out of the game so can she find other super powered villains to join her crusade or will she turn to Hartborn and the cops to help her take down Coil? It’s kinds of exciting to see how she’s going about all this and how Josh is able to take us on the journey alongside her as she makes her choices.
Just as Josh’s writing is getting stronger so too is Shawn’s interior work. See now I love watching people grow and coming into their own with their ability. HIs attention to detail is getting stronger and the use of backgrounds, body proportions it’s all consistent and really nice to see. I really like this black and white with gray shading it’s just really effective to get the feel, tone and emotions necessary to really enjoy the story.
This is another example of why I keep telling you to walk artists alley and check out the self-publishers. These are great stories, each issue showcases growth of skill and talent and it’s a darn good premise to start with. You can find ways to get a copy if you like at www.belowzerocomic.com or as a special treat read them here .
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1XwE00Tv60ebncwZDcwdmk3c1E&usp=drive_web
If you enjoy them think of helping out with their kickstarter here!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1312315934/rapid-city-below-zero-5-page-6