ComixTribe 2017
Written by John Lees
Illustrated by Alex Cormack
Colour Flats by Mark Mullaney
Lettered by Shawn Lee
A love story... Sink style! Following their respective divorces, Louise and Kieran are taking their first tentative steps back into the world of dating. After a lovely dinner, Louise invites Kieran back to her place. There's just one problem: Louise lives in Sinkhill. Will this turn out to be the first date from hell?
I love this series, John has himself a twisted little mind and I'd love to be inside it just for a little bit. Still this has been one of the most original and twisted new horror series for the last few years and it only seems to be picking up more steam with each new issue that comes out. That is because this is a smart, intelligent and well thought out book that is extremely violent and fun. The horror genre is a very fickle one and not all attempts to play in that sandbox succeed more so when it's a voice most are not familiar with so that John not only broke in but is succeeding as much as he is just solidifies the fact that he is one of today's hottest voices in horror comics.
This issue is done exceedingly well. The way the book is structured so that the pacing takes us on a journey through the story & plot development and character development while holding the readers' fascination and moving everything forward is great to see. Also I have to give massive props for a few things here right off the bat, and that's how both sweet this dinner date is and yet seeing that knife cut through steak gives us that gross out factor giving a new meaning to sickeningly sweet. Also hey I was so completely thrilled by this date and was totally expecting something horrific to happen to them on their way home that nothing and I do mean nothing could have prepared me for what comes next!
The thing is few folks can actually keep me on my toes and surprise me time and time again like the boys have in this single issue. If you aren't reading this and like everything from Shaun of the Dead to anything Rob Zombie then you need to be reading this book, trust me you'll thank me later. So Sinkhill has the reputation of being a not so safe area in which to reside, and of course this is where Louise lives. Live adventurously people that's the only way to be.
I have been a fan and watching Alex work for years now and I have to say that what he's been doing lately just blows me away. He manages to keep his signature style and yet tighten it up, make it look more polished and sophisticated. He's a true talent in this industry and what brings to this is beyond exceptional. While a lot of guys like to shy away from the male form what we see here is Alex bringing us Kieran in nearly all his glory looking like your average everyday bloke. Tad pudgy, hair all over-including the back and buttocks- and simply a surprising delight in the realism of normal people. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a talented and well seasoned eye for storytelling. The composition inside the panels and utilising backgrounds is sensational stuff and the effect of the rain as well has that air of truth. The colour work that we see is nice as well and I love how the light sources are utilised to show shading and shadows. How the darkness outside is a more muted hue than in bright lights is another really nice contrast.
God the humour, the horror and the overall sense of dread, anguish and giggling that one does while reading this is priceless. Just when you think you've seen it all we're reminded that we ain't seen nothing yet. I mean once everything starts there no stopping it it's like a force of nature sweeping through. The creativity and imagination in the art as well as in the writing is so damn good and while for our two main characters this issue it's a first date to remember for a lifetime! For readers' it's just another reason to love this series.