In Character Comics 2018
Created & Written by Kenn Galati
Illustrated by Seth Martel
Coloured by Bethany Varni
Letters, Edits & Design by Daniel McNea
The Specialists face their greatest threat as Sovereign City could be decimated by a power unlike anyone has ever seen. GeneSplice is up to no good with their manipulations of human and animal genetics and now have gone too far. Will the Specialists find this threat and be there in time to stop it?
I love when people do what they love and unleash their creativity and take a chance the world at large is going to like it. This is the exact thing that I find at conventions in Artist Alley, unknowns who have a passion for the industry and show off a modicum of talent. I don’t think class or set of courses on writing can prepare anyone adequately enough when it comes to real thing. We all stumble and find ourselves struggling to find our voice, point of view and how to express that. When I first started doing this it was all about play by play which is huge spoilers but I evolved into a different kind of writer who talks about how a book makes me feel and why you should pay attention to them. So where am I going with my ramblings you wonder well let’s see.
I talk about potential a lot when doing self-published books and that’s because I see the talent is there and it just needs a bit of seasoning. Write a book, a six issue arc and each time we read the next issue we see that growth and watch them fully blossom in front of our eyes. I see this in Kenn and his writing. The way the book is structured is nicely done and opening with a dramatic fight scene to capture the readers attention was a smart move. Smart for a few reasons as not only capture the attention but it gives us a starting point and then the opportunity to work our way back to it.
The introduction of the characters could have been smoother take Ian, or Irish, for example I liked meeting him at his work and following him home. There is some excellent characterisation going on with him and Kenn manages to create this connection between Ian and the reader rather nicely. Honestly I'd have been happy with a full Ian story and then during the series give us background stories on the rest here and there. I mean they are an established team however Denise, Foresyght, Scentury well she could have used a tad more attention before she went around being kind of cold at least that’s how I see her. The story could have benefited from that.
The interiors here are far from consistent. There are moments it’s utterly gorgeous and again the introduction of Ian being some of it. The linework is nice and the fact there is a fair amount of attention to detail I wish the entire book looked like this section. To be fair however I have no idea who he is and again it’s like his debut and it was probably more than he should have taken on or at least taken more time if that was possible. This is where quality work and deadlines meet and sometimes that can take someone trying to break in by surprise. Best page is when we see Ian’s wings with the buildings in the background. Colours included. Also not quite sure why but Dimitri and Frank seem to have a good consistency in their appearances as well which kind of makes me want to see Seth’s work once he develops further.
There is a lot going on here and a lot of characters to juggle. Once the team reaches a certain destination and the influx of new characters arrives is when I really got into the story. Not only do we get to see the story continue to move forward in an interesting way. I think this is when things really begin to gel and I see where Kenn is going with this and that he is much more talented than I was expecting him to be. The start is a little rough but the writing gets stronger as the story progresses and it’s being able to see that potential that excites me.
I like this and it’s a pretty solid premise introduce the team that is based in the city and protects the world. Throw in young guns who are just starting their journey and viola suddenly the opportunities are endless. This my friends is why it is so important to support the efforts of people trying to break into comics. Help them nurture their talents and grow and watch what happens as a seed grows into a mighty Sequoia.
You get your copy, digital or physical, here-- http://www.indyplanet.us/the-specialists-a-call-to-arms/