Scout Comics 2018
Written by Ralf Singh & Thorsten Brochhaus
Pencilled by Ralf Singh
Inked by Cristian Docolomansky
Coloured by Ilaria Fella
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Twenty years ago dragons returned to Earth and laid waste to human civilization. In the event the surviving humans named "Zinnober," Claire, then a young girl, lost her parents to the devastating force of these primeval creatures. Today, she's hell-bent on avenging the death of her family. But will the skills she was taught by her foster-father, the troubled ex-Marine James, be enough to fight an unstoppable enemy older than the Earth itself? Will the knowledge of her newest ally, the young scientist Andrew, bring her even closer to her goal? And what role will the mysterious Followers, a cult of mad dragon worshippers, play in all of this?
First thing that I noticed is that this is set in London and I absolutely adore that because all too often something like this will be set in NYC or L.A. and that it’s Europe just enhances my enjoyment here. I went into this blind, without having read anything about it so when I saw the first page I knew we were in for something special. I mean London has fallen it’s nothing more than a wasteland and this image alone is enough to ensure that the reader is going to stick around wanting to know more. This is how you are supposed to feel when you open up a book and see the first page, that rush, that thrill that engulfs you is palpably felt.
I like the way that this book is structured. It has a very distinct ebb & flow that is both familiar and yet uniquely it’s own. The World has been all but destroyed people are nothing more than groupings trying to stay alive at any cost and those factions are just dangerous to one another as the return the great majestic beasts once considered myth. I like that our main characters here are a pair of pseudo father and daughter who seem to have no allegiance to anyone but each other. There is something inherently interesting about loners navigating the world this way that piques the interest and curiosity.
I am pretty darn impressed with the interiors here as well. The attention to detail is gorgeous and that first page follows throughout the entire book in how we see things come to life. The creativity and imagination on display here is stunning in how fully it has been realised. The characters have this life of their own in how distinct and different that they are makes it fantastic to use sight to read without worry of words. The utilisation of the page layouts here is superb and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows of a phenomenal eye for storytelling. I am not going to lie the only thing that keeps from being perfect is the fact we don’t see so every panels filled with backgrounds. This is a post civilised world showcase let it be as much of a character in this book as the people are.
One of the things I appreciated about this issue is that we don’t get background information here, we don’t flashback right away to the first appearance of the Dragons no it’s now and we move forward and I like that. We also meet all the different factions that we need to establishing not only the rules of the street but the hierarchy of it as well. It is everything that a first issue could and should be when it comes to establishing a brand new book.
With an interesting premise and some excellent pacing, characterisation and story development surrounded by fresh clean interior artwork means that this is the one you need to keep your eye on.