Skybound/Image Comics 2020
Written by Mike Costa
Illustrated by Nate Bellegarde
Coloured by Tamra Bonvillain
Lettered by Sal Cipriano
For decades, Stealth has waged war on crime in Detroit, but now he’s taken his pursuit of justice too far. Only reporter Tony Barber knows that behind Stealth’s reckless behaviour is an older man battling Alzheimer’s—his father. A father unwilling to accept that he’s no longer the hero this city needs…with enemies all too eager to force his retirement.
First instinct upon finishing this book was it was a gut punching experience. This packs quite the wallop and wow that wasn't what I was expecting from this. I absolutely adored this and I cannot believe that we are not hearing folks talking about this series already. This is powerful stuff and what Mike brings to the table in terms of his writing, skill, talent and ability is already setting the bar, see standard, extremely high for the rest of the run. The funny thing is having read Mike's work this is the low starting point and I have the highest of expectations for what is to come.
The way that this is being told is phenomenal! There is a unique styling to how the reader learns information through how the sequence of events unfold here. It is surprising, has that major plot twist and takes us on a journey in the most unexpected of ways. The story & plot development here is inspiring to see take shape. The character development here is beyond expectations as we see and get to know the story's main characters. I am impressed with how this book is written and how we are introduced to the characters and the world they inhabit. The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns which keep the reader on their toes with every turn of the page. The way all of this works together to create the books ebb & flow and highlight the structure really is rather quite impressive.
With the lack of hype surrounding this I really wasn't expecting much when I went to read this. So imagine my surprise when I finished this issue and I was dumbfounded by how mindbogglingly good it was. This that hidden gem waiting to be found and it will most assuredly have a profound impact upon you.
I am also extremely impressed with the interior artwork here. The linework here is fantastic and we see such a unique style come to life through it's strength and how the varying weights are being utilised. I love how the city is seen here and how essential it is to the storytelling making it a character in it's own right through the artwork alone. The way the backgrounds are utilised and how they work within the composition to bring out the depth perception, scale and the overall size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this utterly marvellous eye for storytelling. The colour work here is gorgeous as well. How we see the various hues and tones within any given colour create the shading, highlights and shadow work really showcase someone who understands how colour should work.
This is exquisitely layered with multiple points of interest that separately would be more than enough to carry an arc but to see them all and how they could be intertwining is going to be one of the most fascinating things around. God this is good, I know I tell you to get books because they deserve your attention but this almost takes that to a whole new level. This will hit you in the feels through the storytelling, characterisation and it's illustrations.