Fantasyart Comics 2015
Written by Rubyn Warren II & Gabe Smith
Illustrated by Gabe Smith & Mar Marvida
Cover by Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz
Lettered & Script Assist by Vince White
After some horseplay in their science teacher’s laboratory, three teens: Rashad, Mya and Chris, are exposed to unknown chemicals granting them extraordinary abilities. After initial reluctance the three decide to become heroes with the guidance of Dr. Tre’, their science teacher. However their emergence has garnered the attention of others as well.
This is another example of how well word of mouth works. Rubyn was referred to my site from someone who’s work I have reviewed in the past. Now I will say this if you are going to be referred and contact someone out of the blue here’s a few guidelines, introduce yourself, your company or at the very least the book you represent so that I can have the opportunity to get excited by what your asking me to review. That and along with the cover and first three pages to run in a review goes a long way. Also a little background of yourself, the how and why of wanting to be in the industry, these little things go a long way in getting me to actually review the work. Also make sure the pdf you are sending out is consistent and doesn’t change page sizes unnecessarily. Also let me know where people can find this to order it instead of making me search it really does help.
The opening here is nicely done and while I understand why his students call him Dr. Tre I wish it didn’t sound so Hip Hop related but hey it does bring a bit of culture I am not used to the forefront and that alone is fantastic. Also it leads directly into the opening which is a nice way of introducing the book to new readers. As this is my first exposure to the book and the creators it is important to get me involved or invested right away and it does a fairly good job at doing that.
The way the book is structured so that we get a solid ebb & flow to the story is well done. I like seeing things unfold and while the credits page includes a what’s come before (the first paragraph here) the progression of seeing them get their suits for the first time is interesting to see. While the chemical spill might not be the most creative origin story around it’s a tried and true method though lets face it it’s really about how they bond with said chemicals that makes things more believable and acceptable. So hopefully Dr. Tre will also be able to infuse some credible science into this, okay comic book science based on real world applications.
While in no way shape or form do I want this be something of a cliché I would like to appeal the broadest audience it can find. So wherever this fictional city is located I am hoping it gets a more decidedly European feel in how people relate to one another. Also forgive an old man who isn’t hip to today’s lingo and doesn’t understand half of what was said here, though I know it’s young folk talk and I believe that seeing the word Fleek in print physically made me cringe. Still the characterisation seems pretty good from what I can understand here. There is one thing with Dr. Tre we see here that is a little more cliché than I’d like and you can probably guess what I am referring to if you read the book.
I am okay with the work in the interiors here. it’s a tad simple and what we’d expect to see early in someone’s career. The basics are solid and body proportions are nice to see. There are times when the hair and eyes seem more cartoon/doll esque than I'd care for but that’s a part of maturation process as well. Consistency will come with experience as well and it is something to look forward to seeing and when Mark takes over the illustrations here you can see a huge difference. The use of page layouts and the angles and perspective we see in the panels plus the utilisation of backgrounds make the interiors a nice joy.
I think this book shows promise. There are a few elements that show off imagination or a lack-thereof but overall it is intriguing enough to want to see more. A solid base on which to build upon this is why we look outside the box and find creators to spotlight.
http://swagpatrolcomic.webs.com/