Zenescope Entertainment 2016
Written by Lou Iovino
Illustrated by Diego Galindo
Coloured by Grostieta
Lettered by Fabio Amelia
Working for a terrorist organization known as The Circle, the laboratory-enhanced soldier Alpha infiltrates a government facility and steals one of its most important assets -- a young android named Eve. But in order to exploit Eve’s unique technology, The Circle requires the talents of a world-renowned hacker called Ditto. The government sends Britney Waters to find and protect Ditto from falling into the terrorists’ hands. However, despite her many talents, Britney is ill-prepared for the likes of Alpha, a man borne of death and destruction.
Okay who knew that Lou was going to take this idea and turn this into one of those must read limited series that by the end should become a must have monthly series. We knew that Britney wasn’t going to be alone and that somehow or another she’d be forming her own team of operatives what we didn’t know is that Ditto wouldn’t be the first.
Lou has written this so that it feels incredibly organic in nature, by that I mean it feels natural, not forced or contrived but plays out as it should even when there’s a last minute rescue that seems to be a tad unbelievable. Also that he’s using characters who were introduced elsewhere in the Zenescope Universe keeping this series connected yet separate is amazingly well done. Also I am really enjoying the way that these characters are being portrayed as smart, intelligent people who don’t need to rely upon their sexuality to be badass characters.
I’m also pretty incredibly thrilled by Diego and Grostieta’s interior artwork here. Seeing Brit go wolf and fight Alpha was wonderfully done and the fight sequence was like a dance and it flowed beautifully. The attention to detail, use of backgrounds alongside the way pages and panel layouts are constructed really make the most of visual storytelling. It’s stories like this one that make me so excited for the direction Zenescope is heading, growing and evolving into.
The exploration of the Circle in their Stronghold as well as with Ditto and seeing not only what they know but are capable of was fantastically portrayed. All this adds to creating a world where it’s not only the Highborns who seem to have this fantastical power but the advancement in technology and science blend to make this one of those instances that take science fiction to a realm where it doesn’t seem that far off. It blends this scary future with an even scarier present to really throw the reader into a space where awe and fear mix in the most wonderful ways.
I also like the way that Britney and Avril are interacting with one another. Not immediate friends but allies of sorts more out of convenience than not and this makes for a real friendship/partnership capable of growing. Again it goes back to the organic way it feels and for me that’s a huge draw when it comes to reading a story.
From concept to execution these first two issues have been on point in such a way that it’s not only modern and now, see Supernatural, Grimm and the Originals, but also delightful and genre defying.