The Kill Lock #2
IDW Publishing 2019
By Livio Ramondelli
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Bonded by their Kill Lock, four robots search for a cure—a way to live, and die, independently. Their only clue is a bot known as The Axial, supposed to be a creator of the Lock and keeper of its secrets. Of course, the first thing they have to do is find her… without getting themselves killed!
I can't believe that I wasn't sure about this when I first heard about it. I find myself so involved, invested and thoroughly engaged from the start and I simply do not wish the story would end. Part of me feels like this is a RPG game, kind of along the lines of Warhammer, but it has a definite spin on that and with the four of them it's almost like they represent the four elementals of wind, air, earth and water. Sure they have four very different personalities and they could be representative of something else along those lines but honestly I rather like how I think of them.
I have mad respect for Livio as he is pretty much doing it all here and he's doing it with such aplomb. Anyone who can write and illustrate their own work is someone that not only deserves that respect but when it's done at a level we seeing it done here well it just means he's turning a corner in his career. With his work on Transformers Galaxies and this he has vaulted himself into must follow creator whether it's just for his artistic prowess or for his writing. He has opened up a world of storytelling to me in realms I never would've though I would look twice at.
I am such a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid down with such finesse. I have to say that we see a lot happening and it almost feels like it's happening quickly but it's really not and I am thoroughly impressed with how the pacing moves us through the story here. The character development is phenomenal as well. It is very easy to understand The Artisan and The Wraith and what drives them so to see The Laborer in the spotlight and The Kid and why they are so protective of him is actually heart warming. The pacing really is that good and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns helps to create this fantastic ebb & flow to the book while also highlighting how the book is structured.
These interiors are beyond stunningly gorgeous. His digital artwork is so damn impressive it's what got me to get my Transformers series. The way we see the linework and how the varying weights are being utilised to create and spotlight this level and quality of attention to detail is mindbogglingly good. The composition inside the panels and how we see backgrounds utilised in them to show depth perception, scale and the overall sense of 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 masters eye for storytelling. Then there is the colour work here. Now all the training in the world doesn't give you the raw talent to know how colour works like he does. To see flames, fire and destruction and from the white hot centre to the reds, pinks and magenta's in that level of heat and then to see the greens, yellows and greys in the clouds around that, this shows that kind of mastery over colour that is rare to see at this level. The hues and tones within the colours and how they create the shading, highlights and shadow work here leaves me gobsmacked.
I really hope that this is the first in a series of arcs that Livio has planned for this series. I really think we are only just scratching the surface on who they are and what they are capable of. This is the beginning of some dysfunctional family that if they learn to truly work together will be capable of literally anything they put their minds to. While this may have themes running through it that almost feel familiar what Livio has managed to do is create something wholly unique and all it's own that captures the mind and imagination is some incredibly strong and powerful ways.
IDW Publishing 2019
By Livio Ramondelli
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Bonded by their Kill Lock, four robots search for a cure—a way to live, and die, independently. Their only clue is a bot known as The Axial, supposed to be a creator of the Lock and keeper of its secrets. Of course, the first thing they have to do is find her… without getting themselves killed!
I can't believe that I wasn't sure about this when I first heard about it. I find myself so involved, invested and thoroughly engaged from the start and I simply do not wish the story would end. Part of me feels like this is a RPG game, kind of along the lines of Warhammer, but it has a definite spin on that and with the four of them it's almost like they represent the four elementals of wind, air, earth and water. Sure they have four very different personalities and they could be representative of something else along those lines but honestly I rather like how I think of them.
I have mad respect for Livio as he is pretty much doing it all here and he's doing it with such aplomb. Anyone who can write and illustrate their own work is someone that not only deserves that respect but when it's done at a level we seeing it done here well it just means he's turning a corner in his career. With his work on Transformers Galaxies and this he has vaulted himself into must follow creator whether it's just for his artistic prowess or for his writing. He has opened up a world of storytelling to me in realms I never would've though I would look twice at.
I am such a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid down with such finesse. I have to say that we see a lot happening and it almost feels like it's happening quickly but it's really not and I am thoroughly impressed with how the pacing moves us through the story here. The character development is phenomenal as well. It is very easy to understand The Artisan and The Wraith and what drives them so to see The Laborer in the spotlight and The Kid and why they are so protective of him is actually heart warming. The pacing really is that good and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns helps to create this fantastic ebb & flow to the book while also highlighting how the book is structured.
These interiors are beyond stunningly gorgeous. His digital artwork is so damn impressive it's what got me to get my Transformers series. The way we see the linework and how the varying weights are being utilised to create and spotlight this level and quality of attention to detail is mindbogglingly good. The composition inside the panels and how we see backgrounds utilised in them to show depth perception, scale and the overall sense of 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 masters eye for storytelling. Then there is the colour work here. Now all the training in the world doesn't give you the raw talent to know how colour works like he does. To see flames, fire and destruction and from the white hot centre to the reds, pinks and magenta's in that level of heat and then to see the greens, yellows and greys in the clouds around that, this shows that kind of mastery over colour that is rare to see at this level. The hues and tones within the colours and how they create the shading, highlights and shadow work here leaves me gobsmacked.
I really hope that this is the first in a series of arcs that Livio has planned for this series. I really think we are only just scratching the surface on who they are and what they are capable of. This is the beginning of some dysfunctional family that if they learn to truly work together will be capable of literally anything they put their minds to. While this may have themes running through it that almost feel familiar what Livio has managed to do is create something wholly unique and all it's own that captures the mind and imagination is some incredibly strong and powerful ways.
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