Boom! Studios 2019
Created & Written by Jeremy Haun
Illustrated by Danny Luckert
Lettered by Ed Dukeshire
After losing her eye and the man she loves in a brutal mugging, Daisy McDonough is left trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Just when she begins to think she can heal— move on, she begins to see strange things through her new prosthetic eye. And The Red Mother sees her in return.
Alright well colour me intrigued. I do very much like that Jeremy is able to find somewhere to tell his twisted and dark little stories. He's an amazing artist in his own right and as a storyteller he's one today's most underrated. With his recent successes here's hoping that this too finds it's way into everyone's hands.
The way that this one opens is innocent enough and the moment we get to see Daisy and Luke talking. There is something charming about ordinary people talking this way as they stroll after eating way too much pizza that captures the readers' attention beautifully. What I really like about this is that it showcases how ordinary they are and that anything can happen to anyone at given point in time. Also this reminds me that it isn't being extraordinary that causes things to happen but instead it's the things that happen to ordinary people that make them extraordinary. I kind of like seeing this in action.
I love the way that this is being told. The way we see the story & plot development unfold before us as well as how the reader learns information is exceedingly well done. The character development is utterly phenomenal and it goes at a pace that is superb for getting to know Daisy in such a personal and nearly complete way. Nearly because we are the sum of our experiences and let's face hers are just beginning. The pacing is perfectly done as the book not only brings into the story and sets thins up beautifully and it creates a seamless ebb & flow to the book. The overall way that this book is structured is so well done it makes for an easy and delightful read.
God this really is just such a nice book. There is so much about this that I really like and from the way that we see the tenderness, the harshness and everything in between it has this ring of authenticity to it that's impossible to miss. Also it really is a shame isn't it that the cops have to go about things the way they do as if there is something wrong they won't listen to what she is really saying. Every one thinks they always know best when they know nothing at all.
I like the interiors a heck of a lot. The linework is fantastic and how we see the varying weights being utilised to bring out this attention to detail is sensational. When Danny adds in the colour work and we see things the eyeball come to life things get even more exceptional and I wasn't sure that could even happen. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this strong talented eye for storytelling. The composition inside the panels with the way that backgrounds are utilised create some beautiful depth perception as well scale and sense of size and scope to the book that's extremely nice to see. I am also a big fan of seeing how the way that hues and tones within a colour are utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work like we see in the skin tones helping define musculature.
I like this for so many different reasons and high amongst them is the fact that this isn't hit you over the head with it, it's this completely thought provoking get into your head amazingness. The way the story is being told and the pace in which it's being done really has this anticipation and tension filled way about it that leaves you without knowing what to expect next and it's this that is a strong point.