Dynamite Entertainment 2019
Written by Gail Simone
Illustrated by Walter Geovani
Coloured by Adriano Augusto
Lettered by Simon Bowland
The secret to Winslow House nears its revelation! ‘Devil continues his defence of the tenants against thugs working for a mysterious villain! Things continue to get weird!
Oh Gail you beautiful, deliciously twisted woman you are a treasure. Whatever magic it is which you possess I hope it is something that you never lose. What you have done here is create not just a story that centre's upon Bartholomew Hill but you created a place for him to belong, regardless how much may he protest to the contrary, given him a new purpose and the beginnings of a new series. You cannot stop here you've started something special and it's high time someone went ahead and treated theses characters with a newfound respect that I have been dying to see.
The way that this is being told is utterly delightful. The story & plot development we see through the sequence of events and how the reader learns information is laid down extremely well. I also love how Hill keeps spending time in each of the units as he and us get to know more and more about these people. The way this is being done is really superb and I like how he both listens, talks and learns. The character development is sensational to see. Not only are these people being fleshed out beautifully but Hill is finding himself a new purpose here and as he slowly remembers his life he's coming to realise that maybe, just maybe he's been running for all the wrong reasons. The pacing here is great and as it takes us through the pages on this journey we see the twists and turns that help create the books ebb & flow.
It has been a long time since the Death-Defying Devil has had an opportunity to really shine like this and now that we've seen what Gail is capable of doing with him I would love to see her keep going with it. Gail knows how to write complicated individuals and utilise their strengths and weaknesses in giving them new life. I haven't been this excited of any of his stories like I am with this one here, hence my desire to see more of him by these creators.
I like the interiors here a whole heck of a lot. Walter's linework is incredible and to see the varying weights being utilised like they are to bring out this attention to detail is fantastic to see. That group shot makes me want to see more of these characters. There is a creativity and imagination that is on display here that is marvellous, like those Goblins. The way that backgrounds are utilised here and how they help the composition inside the panels to show depth perception, scale and bring a size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a really strong eye for storytelling. The colour work is sensational in it's own right. The patterning in that wallpaper is is phenomenal and I love it and want it! The way we see the hues and tones within the colours utilised to create shading, highlights and shadows is rendered incredibly well.
Well I kind of knew what was coming between the Devil and the girl but to see it right here presented by that last person you want to see it from well that's kick in the rubber parts that's for sure. Still I have to say that this is continually proving to be one delight after another.