Scout Comics 2019
By Brian Middleton Jr.
"Come to me and I will heal your broken heart." These words, spoken by a sweet-voiced angel, lead Wulfborne into a dark and creature-filled underworld. As he battles his way through Minotaur’s, fish creatures and other strange monsters we learn that Wulfborne has lost the love of his life, Luna. He is now torn between dealing with the angel who has whispered that she will heal his broken heart and a promise that he made to Luna. Wulfborne the Adventurer travels the Underworld in an attempt to heal his broken heart! Monstrous adversaries block his way! Strange Travellers warn him back! But the bitter swordsman is determined to see this through...no matter the cost! Will he find what he seeks at the bottom of the Underworld or does something far deadlier lie in wait?
As I first started reading this oh okay this is kind of minimalist in nature. It grabbed me because of what I saw, or didn’t see and drew me further into the story with each panel. I had no idea if this was about a love he had and lost and while she was gone he’d continue on the path he’s tried so hard to turn his back on. I found it romantic to be honest and I was thinking aww a quest for Wulfborn to go on now right, that’s only natural. Brian you are a madman, a fool and a genius because you lured me in as if I were a moth and the book a flame and now I cannot go.
Seriously the way that this book is structured is bloody brilliant! There is this undeniable understanding of what Wulfborn is going through as well as why so the relatability factor seems to increase page by page. Ironically enough however is the fact that there is very little in the way of dialogue coming out of Wulfborn and yet his characterisation is simply flawless. Truly I was riveted to the page waiting and waiting and waiting for something to come out of Wulfborn and panel after panel as my personal tension rose through my shoulder’s thanks to the amount of anticipation (is makin’ me late, is keepin’ me waitin’) I feel.
There are some very odd occurrences that caught my eye and made go hmm. It is nice to see that at times my mind still works properly but I do attribute most of what I misinterpret is caused by Brian and how he’s able to write this story. This is no joke guys it really is an understated masterpiece of fiction.
I will wholeheartedly admit that this isn’t the normal style of artwork I gravitate towards. This however doesn’t mean I don’t know how to appreciate it thank goodness. I will also admit that I was hoping to see “more” of him around that fire. There is a sensational showing of creativity and imagination in these pages and it’s so utterly fantastic to see. Sometimes we see something so incredibly out of character like this cute as heck cat and you think what the hell, but it works. So does the utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels, which show a superb eye for storytelling. Backgrounds aren’t utilised much here but considering the setting that’s understandable and there is just attention to detail in things that make the mind go darker in what they imagine.
One thing that I absolutely love about this book is that Brian pulls the reader into the story and let’s their own mind and imagination kind of supplement what we see and read. I honestly and truly believe that our own minds create much more intense and horrific things than what a creator shows upon the page. That this is what happens to me with this story is magnificent. This is why I love finding new people whose work I am not familiar with and why I love Scout Comics because they have that knack for finding the ones we need to see.