Scout Comics 2017
Created & Written by James Haick III
Illustrated by Branko Jovanovic
Coloured by J.M. Ringuet
Lettered & Designed by Andworld Design’s DC Hopkins
Things are starting to look up for Jake and his friends, after finding some supplies and transportation. With the New Americans hot on their trail, they'll have to come up with an escape plan quickly. Will they be able to make it out of Port Charlotte without being caught? Only time will tell.
I like that season two seems to be focusing on the group getting where they need to go and the challenges that they face. Sure things are going to be more difficult and this isn’t a zombie apocalypse so the roving bands of these New Americans, who seem like Trump Supporters to me, are intelligent, and I use that term loosely, and organised so getting by them isn’t going to be a piece of cake. The fact that they’ve afoul of this group and are actively being hunted doesn’t help matters either.
Sammy is a young woman who is more intelligent than we realise she’s also extremely resourceful. Though her parents past association with these New Americans will come in handy if worked properly. Also while Jake doesn’t want to bring her along he’s not really going to have any choice in the matter, her folks went to Africa and let’s face it with the world in its current state there is no way they are going to be coming home any time soon, if at all. Though as an offshoot story I wouldn't mind seeing their trials and tribulations as that would give the story another viewpoint and do wonders in expanding the scope of things.
Meanwhile James ability to structure the book so that information is doled out and the pacing of interactions make reading this a breeze. It has a nice flow through the pages which helps because there really is a lot of story that needs to be told. Not everything is going to be action oriented so there are times that the story has to be told in a way that keeps the readers attention and the curiosity piqued and that’s something James does extremely well. That he can focus on the group who have this conversation that is but is not a democracy is well constructed and delightful to read.
I have been a fan of Branko’s since day one and the linework he brings to this to detial faces and facial expressions is utterly fantastic for me. It’s so expressive and brings the characters to life in ways we enjoy seeing. His use of page layouts so we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off such a solid eye for storytelling. Yes I’d like to see more backgrounds in use here but I won’t quibble because it’s such good work that we get to see.
I do like how things play out here as we see the New Americans trespassing on the land that Sammy’s family owns. Seeing that they possess the accoutrement of the New Americans things kind of go as planned in regards to getting rid of them peacefully. But the best laid plans of mice and men and all that jazz. Or Murphy’s Law take your pick because either way nothing is going to as smoothly as you’d like them to whether your flying by the seat of your pants or have long term plans in motion.
James takes something as innocuous as a Solar Flare and turns it into a worldwide tragedy where we’re left watching good people try to pick up the pieces while the unsavoury element tries to take violent advantage of it. Who will come out on top and can the way of life we’ve known be restored or will it finally be time for a survival of the fittest scenario?