Red Winter 1. Michael Gordon (Writer), Francisco Munoz (Pencils/Inks), Rolands Kalnins (Colours), Nikki Sherman (Letters) (2018)

An enjoyable and engaging crime story that is a bleak and biting as the Moscow winter. Eli Winter is an American ex-policeman living in Moscow working for Nikolai Dubrovsky. After five years of minor jobs Eli is told to investigate the robbery of a major drugs manufacturing and distribution centre. A robbery that included the murder of the staff working there. Eli investigates as required and has a very brutal encounter before he makes it back to his apartment where a very bad day becomes a catastrophic one.
Any first issue has to establish the cast, context and plot launch very quickly without being to crowed or dense. Michael Gordon makes it look easy. The story unfolds quickly, still taking the time to give details about the context that make it clear just how much Eli Winter still has to loose, before he even realizes the actual depth of his problems. Confident, sharp writing move the cast beyond being the stock figures of the genre. Indebted outsider, a powerful gangster with an temperamental offspring who wants to respond. Each are compelling in their own right as they confront the problem that the robbery and murders have created.
Francisco Munoz's art places the cast in a solid context, this is a brutal city where the price of surviving a freezing night is the toll taken on your health. Everyone is  struggling and those with power are constantly fighting to retain it. Disrespect is the most dangerous act, Eli Winter is cheerfully disrespectful where he can be, his grin is a sign of his victory. The rest of the cast are all full of life and energy, they push their way forward to demand attention from the reader, they exude menace without shouting, the art shows the dangerous anger boiling just below the surface with subtle skill.
Rolands Kalnins's colours are suitably muted in keeping with the emotional tone of the story, they bring out the details of the context and cast, giving it weight and depth that is required to give the story the edge it should have. Nikki Sherman's lettering is natural and easy to read, drawing no attention to itself they allow the cast speak directly to the reader.
Red Winter is a gripping crime story that has set up a powerful set of possibilities all of them likely to be increasingly bad news for the cast. How they respond will be fascinating to see.
Chris Shehan's stunning cover is a true indication of the quality within.

Enter the Asylum. Accent Uk (2018)

A very enjoyable and engaging anthology takes a clever idea, attendees at The Asylum Steampunk Festival feature in a collection of stories. 
Lady Clarajane and Captain Charles Rivington in The Rescue That Can Never Be Mentioned.  Dave West (Story), Russell Mark Olsen (Art). Lady Clarajane leaves the airship to chase a lead about the professor and finds herself in trouble. A neat story with excellent plot mechanics packed into five pages that never feels crowded or rushed.  Russell Mark Olsen's art shines, a single page panel with four smaller panels inserted is full of detail, movement and clarity. The cast are just on the right side of cartoon and the facial expressions and body language are both elequont.
Rufus Trimble in Dressing for a Live Concert. Dave West (Writer & Art) , a nicely paced and delivered joke, the art and words balanced to get the maximum impact.
Those Courageous Climberts in The Ascent. Gary Crutchley (Writer , Art), Matt Soffe (Colours). My favourite story in the anthology. The sort of absurdity that friends who are at an outing will find themselves involved it. The conversation is a joy and the conclusion is pitch perfect.
Matt Soffe' colours give depth and weight to the gossamer story.
Winnie Burton in Steeping. Dave West (Writer), Mikos Al Teri (Art). Dave West has created a frame for the glorious art by Mikos Al Teri. It is barely a fragment, it serves its purpose perfectly, creating the space for the art to draw out every thing that might be there. The sharp spiky art is distinctive and deeply engaging, the colours and lines draw in the reader and and build a palpable atsmophere. 
Dame Dunkit, Lady Petticoat Tails & Edward Teddy in A Teddy's Tale. Coplin Mathieson (Writer), Amma Francesca Schiaaloi (Art), Matt Soffe (Colours). Going to a major steampunk event is a big deal, there is a lot of preperation involved and getting it right takes work. No one likes being upstaged, least of all by someone you brought to the show. Action is taken. Amma Francesca Schiaaloi's art is expressive and engaging, all the cast are full of life. Matt Soffee colours are vital to enhance the details and tones of the story and do so beautifully.
Enter the Asylum is a fan letter to steam punk fans and a very enjoyable comic in its own right. A delicate balance has been achieved due to the confident talent of the creators. Great fun.
 

Kia Wordsmith. Dave West (Writer), Ian Ashcroft (Art). Accent UK (2018)

The first issue of a fantasy story that set up the story possibilities with skill and care and  leaves the reader with a pleasurable anticipation of where the story will go next.
Kia is a young woman living in the city of Arrak-Al-Tar, The City of Wonders. The city is engaged in a war, part of an alliance with others against a common enemy. The war is taking a toll on the city that the city is trying to ignore. Kia is bored and feeling stifled, running the rooftops at night offers freedom and the possibility of adventure. A meeting with a legendary thief sparks her curiosity and leads her to an unexpected place and a consequential action. The story is slim, it has to introduce the cast and context which does not leave a lot of room for plot, that is presented at the end as the story engine gets properly started.
Kia is a very engaging lead character, craving adventure and stimulation outside of the limits of her life, she has the energy and curiosity that engage the reader. She is never entitled or annoying, she is impulsive and willing to take a risk.
Ian Ashcroft's art has to carry a substantial burden in this issue, to establish the context and create the visual form for the story. His luxurious art is a pleasure to read, using panels to frame and extend the story, the details are beautiful and telling. There is a lush romance to the art that is exactly what the story needs to fly.
Kia Wordsmith has the feel of a contemporary version of the great romantic science fiction comic strips of the early days of newspaper comic strips. Space was filled with vividly realised alternative civilisations that were the playgrounds for adventurers and magicians. Kia Wordsmith has the same confident approach to the possibilities of what might lie behind a door in a magicians floating castle.
Dave West and Ian Ashcroft have opened a door to a deeply inviting universe where a  spirited adventurers who will make her mark to the deep joy of the readers.

Cognition 0-4. Ken Reynolds (Writer & Letters), Sam Bentley (Art). www.facebook.com/CognitionComic (2018)

A very smart idea executed with tremendous confidence and skill. The British Occult Secret Service (B.O.S.S.) operating in investigate supernatural threatsVictorian England, false and real mediums, disappearances in marshlands, a demon dog. The threads of the story neatly twist together as myth proves to have a hidden history that threatens the present.
 B.O.S.S.has an unusual staff, Silas Pope is the Director, a man steeped in occult secrets. Hattie Griggs a mechanical engineer with a soaring talent. Calibre 507-'Cal' a robot built by Hattie Griggs inhabited by a displaced human soul and Sigma, a displaced demon in the body of a mouse tethered to Cal by the process that displaced them both.  In this case the Devil has the best tunes, Sigma is the most compelling character, demanding, sarcastic, hungry he pushes himself forward in the story and at the reader. Cal is pulled along by Sigma, a lost soul, his memories gone with his human form, he is aware and trying still to adjust to the circumstances. Silas Pope is given a wonderfully revealing moment in a single panel that highlights both creators depth of skill, Hattie Griggs is gets more space at the conclusion, she remains slightly underwritten.
The plot mechanics are great, the self contained chapters at the start give way to an longer narrative that uses continuity with skill and control. The plot mechanics are thoughtful and sharp, the story creates a sufficient problem for B.O.S.S. to be sorely tried and to be sufficiently successful to credit their brains and experience.
The supporting cast are engaging, the walk ons in the village pub and the cult members are always more than just set decorations, they move and breathe with energy that makes the reader notice them. They give depth to the context and the leading cast.
Sam Bentley's art is a joy to read and linger over, the details draw in the readers eye and the astonishing range that his black and white art delivers is wonderful. The stark contrast in the art captures the emotional tones of the story perfectly, this is a brutal unforgiving struggle that will allow no quarter. There are no shades of gray, just winning or losing. The cast are given lived in faces, Silas Pope wears his experience lightly but clearly on his face and in his body. Confident and capable, the weight of the game still rests on him. Hattie Griggs is not an awkward steam punk engineer, she is a gifted mechanical engineer who is a Victorian female and dresses like one. Placing a bowler hat and a cloak on a steam punk robot inhabited by a displaced soul is a master stroke, it gives an edge of familiarity to the robot that allows the personality shine without being distracted by the mechanics. Sigma is a mouse. A very clever mouse that hides the true shape and intent of the creature, the tension between both is vital to driving the story.
There are a number of back up stories that are used to cast a sidelight on the cast and context and they do so with tremendous skill. The allow for an alternative perspective that adds to the context and a different view of the cast that gives them greater depth without interruption to the flow of the main story.
Cognition is a great comic, story and execution show off the talent of the creators for the benefit of the readers. Read and relish.

The Snack Thief. Andrea Camilleri (Writer), Stephen Sartareelli (Translator) Picador (1996)

Compelling, charming and very engaging Sicilian crime story. Inspector Montalbano is determined to avoid any involvement with the case of a crew member of a fishing boat who is killed by a Tunisian patrol boat. The case of an elderly man found fatally stabbed in the lift of his apartment block is much more interesting. As the investigation into the murder unfolds, the victims life becomes much more complicated and the actions of his cleaner become very significant. The investigation twists and turns and becomes emeshed in very dangerous national and international security. The conclusion is wholly satisfying, arising naturally from the story and delivering exactly the punch it should.
Frequently in crime fiction the lives of the leading players are put in at the margins of thier professional work, here the investigation has to push very hard to find space in the larger context of Montalbano's life and in particular his pleasure in eating.
This is wonderful as Andrea Camilleri provides a deep and complex context for the investigation and allows Montalbano to truly reveal himself. In doing so he does not crowd out the rest of the cast, rather they are given the room to show off themselves and capture the reqade's attention.
The plot mechanics take their force from the context and they reveal a darkness in the Sicilian sunshine that is cold and powerful. There is sharp humour but no one is comic relief, not even the obvious comic relief player.
Charm is a tricky quality in a crime story, it runs counter to the grain of the genre. Montalbano is not a charming man, he is prickly and difficult,his deep pleasure in eating is a pleasure for the reader. Charm comes from the sly commentry of the author on the story, the cast and the context.Such confident storytelling with the lightest touch is a demonstration of tremendous depth of talent. There are no rules for talent and  Andrea Camilleri proves that charm is no barrier to being gripping and thoughtful.
Stephen Sartareelli transparent translation and very useful notes at the back of the book are  wonderful, they allow the full, rich, flavour of the story to rise up and entice the reader.

The Missing and the Dead. Stuart MacBride. Harper (2015)

Brutal, brutally funny and gripping this Scottish crime story is deeply enjoyable and engaging. Coming off a disastrous court case Acting Detective Inspector Logan McRae finds himself back in uniform as a patrol sergeant in a remote Scottish town. When he finds the body of a very young girl in an outdoor swimming pool the case may be an opportunity to move back. The investigation is lead by Logan's old boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel and quickly develops into just one of the very many problems that shower down on him. Thieves who pull cash point machines out of the wall and vanish, local drug dealers with aspirations to move up the league and a mother desperate to find her daughter are all significant complications.
Logan McRae is a great character, he is capable, professional, determined and just unlucky enough to find that the solution to one problem is the start of another problem.This gives the plot mechanics great force and energy as events never quite unfold as might be expected. None of the cast are willing to a walk on part, all of them speak with clear individual voices that demand attention and engagement from the reader. The black humour is absolutely rooted in the cast and context and gives the story a depth and edge that allow the genuinely brutal action scenes deliver with force and momentum.
DCI Steele remains a joy to be with on the page, vibrantly lesbian and chaotic, she is dedicated, competent and very determined.
The plot mechanics are superbly structured as they overlap and press against each other, the reveals are brilliantly staged to complicate and reveal. The threads are drawn together very convincingly and the ferocious and deeply sad confrontation at the climax is natural and unforced
The outstanding confidence that Stuart McBride has to write this book creates a deep and abiding pleasure for a reader, they can be confident that they are being moved along by a master. Top fiction, stunning crime fiction.

To the Top of the Mountain. Arne Dhal (Writer), Alice Menzies (Translator). Harvill Secker (2014)

A hugely engaging and enjoyable Swedish crime story. The killing of a football fan in a bar and the death by explosion in a prison are each investigated by ex-members of a special police investigative team, disbanded after a disastrous case. When a robbery that uses explosives and leaves six dead provides threads a link both the team is reassembled. As the investigation develops it becomes clear that there is something very serious happening and that the team have a significant task to stop it. The investigation is superbly set up, the threads of the story twist together in a nasty, very satisfactory way and the bleakest justice is served.
The plot mechanics are superb, Arne Dhal sets up multiple threads in the story and each one follows  to an intersection with the others in its own time and is never forced. The reveals are set up with great skill and complicate as much as they reveal. When the knots start to tighten, the suspense is steadily increased until;l the very bitter and utterly satisfactory conclusion is reached.
Arne Dhal manages a large cast with confident skill and discipline, each cast member gets enough time to fully establish themselves and then develops further as the interactions between plot and cast make them collide with each other. All of them demand attention from the reader, none are decorations or simple plot devices, they make their way through the story bursting with life, doubts, confidence and energy. This is the third book in a series, continuity is used with a light hand, the shared history is suggested without ever being required to understand and enjoy everything.
Alice Menzies translation is transparent, the cast and context are entirely natural, it is uncompromisingly Swedish and wholly at home in English. Strongly recommended
.

Modern Testament. Anthology of the Ethereal. Frank Martin (Writer & Publisher) Kickstarter (2018)

A deeply engaging collection of stories that draw on an powerful source in unexpected and striking ways. Biblical creatures and concepts are so much part of the history and imagination of the Western world that it is very difficult to think of them in a fresh way. Until someone does. Frank Martin has the confidence and craft to take on the challenge of giving new, vibrant life to longstanding icons. The approach is simple, elegant and happily unexpected, Frank Martin takes the creatures and ideas at face value and gives them a new context to show their undiminished power. Never metaphors, but entities in their own right they emerge as sharp , striking characters fully in charge of their own stories.  The following are some of the stories contained within this great collection, all of the stories deserve and reward the reader's time and attention.
"The Great Hunt" Igor Chakal (Art), Stanislaus Leonov (Colours). A couple arrive on game reserve looking to hunt a creature that apparently has killed other hunters. Naturally they ignore the warnings from the warden and head out on their way to capture their prey. It does not end well.  Frank Martin includes some details to give the considerably more weight and impact. The reason the couple are hunting the creature is simple and strong and the final pay off effective.The set up seems to deliver stock characters in a well worn situation, the motivation for the trip pulls them directly to life just in time to encounter the Behemoth.
Igor Chakal's art captures the feel of old films about reckless white big game hunters who were lead by arrogance out of their depth in the bush. This is exactly what the straight lines of the story needs, the momentum that leads to the confrontation. When it arrives it is delivered with great force and impact. The details are every bit as bloody and brutal as they need to be. Stanislaus Leonov's colours are a bright and bold as the reserve should be, when the switch comes to night time, the lighting is not dimmed to hide the action. Stanislaus Leonov manages something difficult, the nighttime is important, still the details of the attack have to be vivid and the sequence works without feeling absurd on either count.
"Down with the Sickness" Joaquin Gr,(Art) Matej Stasko (Colours), Kel Nuttall (Letters). A dying man uses his pharmaceutical company as his personal resources when he becomes terminally ill. When he meets the source of his illness his problems become more clearly defined. Embodying an idea is always a tricky proposition, how to balance the requirements of both aspects. Frank Martin makes it look easy as Pestilence jumps from the comic with vivid, baleful life and sharp personality. A nasty sense of humour and a brutally frank approx to his  work, make him fascinating. Joaquin Gr, manages the equally difficult task of making Pestilence human enough to be easily read and foreign enough to be powerful and threatening. Looking like a green almost corpse possessed of enormous energy is a brilliant way to solve the problem. the details of the context give the story a very strong physical anchor that allows the ideas to operate successfully. Matej Stasko's colours capture the two elements of the story, the mundane story of a rich man's fear of death and the resources he uses to fight it and the triumphant march of his unstoppable enemy. The colours give lift and strength to both aspect of the story.
Kel Nuttals letters are consistently subtle, easy to read and change to support the story with care and focus. The sound effects are a joy, they give the emphasis just where it is needed. The ideas never push out the stories and the stories never overwhelm the ideas, a extraordinary balance of precision and force by very talented creators who have delivered a great comic.
"At Death's Door"  Anthony Pugh (Art), Julian Dominguez (Colours), Ken Nuttall (Letters) is the stand out story in this collection, sharp, blackly funny and with a brilliant set up and stunning pay off, it is a serious pleasure. Death is despondent and Cain has been sent to check on him and get him back on track. Frank Martin has taken a wonderfully imaginative and unexpected angle that nicely plays with reader expectations. Anthony Pugh's friendly art sells the story idea with understated confidence, using a very familiar setting to capture and control readers expectations with subtle skill and a wonderfully expressive cast. Julian Dominguez uses the colours to anchor the action with care, amplifying the emotional tones of the story and bring out every nuance the writing and art.Ken Nuttals letters are natural and unassuming , the sound effects are perfect they give the force required when required.
"The Abandoned"  Francesco Conte (Art) , Macerena Cortes (Colours), Kel Nuttall (Letters). An argument between a son and his mother gains heat and volume as the absent father is included in the mix. What is really impressive about this story is the way the argument feels old, it has been had many times before, it is also fresh each time, the emotions are never less than raw. The development of the argument strongly suggests one conclusion before a wonderfully convincing one is given instead. It is sign of the strength of the writing that the weight of the story can be so convincingly turned in a tiny space without cheating the reader or unraveling the story.  Francesco Conte has a considerable task to accomplish with the art, the context is very confined and there are just two members in the cast, the action is emotional rather than physical. The tension is developed fully as the cast respond to the changing dynamics of the argument and the balance of forces shift. The impact of rage is caught with subtlety and force as is the abrupt shift as the fight alters its tone. Macerena Cortes' colours give definition and depth to the context and the cast, they capture the shifting intensity of the emotions as they spill and roar. They are slightly muted which allows the real force of the words to come out loud and clear.
And finally, "God Complex."  Martin Szymanski (Art), Miguel Marques (Colours), Ken Nuttall (Letters). A scientist issues invitations to a conference without revealing the topic, he has enough of a reputation to bring a crowd, he makes a breathtaking announcement and finds that an unexpected attendee has a problem with that. A claim to know everything could annoy someone who does in fact know everything. In a wonderfully bold and unexpected story God is not amused and it does not end well. Martin Szymanski solves a really difficult problem , what does God look like? Martin Szymanski makes an entirely logical choice within the context of the story that confidently strikes out away from the most familiar versions. Cosmic action is delivered with the same attention to detail as a conversation, the move from one to another is entirely natural and controlled. The clever shifts of the story are captured and framed perfectly. Miguel Marques bring bright colours to the story managing to capture the emotional tones and context of the story with pin point accuracy,even at its harshest God's actions will always be full of light. Ken Nuttall's letters make a story with a lot of text light and easy to read.
Frank Martin and the talented team of creators have proved again that there are simply no rules for talent, which is always a deep pleasure to find out again at first hand. What a great comic.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by Frank Martin. He is running a Kickstarter for the book, give yourself the unbounded pleasure of that only a great comic can deliver and get a copy for yourself.

Wretches No. 1. James E. Roche (Writer), Salomon Farias (Art), Chunlin Zao (Colours), Jamie Me (Letters). JAMESEROCHE.COM (2016)

A very engaging and enjoyable full tilt science fiction comic. The story open by plunging right into the action, a chase that nicely play with reader expectations before smoothly moving into a wide open space opera. Shea and Sean, brother and sister, are humans and they clearly have a on going fight with robots, the robots are as happy to bring the fight back to Shea and Sean in turn.
James Roche has created a great set up and provided enough action and splinters of context to have the reader really want to know how it will continue. The cast are dramatically introduced and the plot mechanics are fully engaged. Space opera is by its nature a huge canvas for a story and James Roche has taken the genre requirements to heart and delivered them with confident bravado. Interplanetary travel, multiple species, a upfront conflict that is clearly part of a much bigger wide spread issue, all nicely fitting together without knocking out the balance of the story.
From the opening splash panel Salomon Farias's demonstrates a astonishing mastery of space opera art, a crowd scene that instantly places the read into the context and makes it clear that they can instantly relax into the story, they are in safe hands. The cast are physical and dynamic, the action is fast and has weight and impact. They are expressive and engaging, the walk on parts are given the same attention so that the all important context is consistently solid and convincing. There is an abundance of detail in the art that never seems crowed or fussy, it just anchors the reader and allows them enjoy the full depth of the story.
Chunlin Zao's colours are wonderful, they are the colours of a space opera action story, they give depth and definition to the details and the cast, they capture the emotional tones and nuances of the story with subtle care.
The letters by Jamie Me are quiet and unobtrusive, they  fit into the art and are easy to read. The sound effects on the other hand are exactly as loud, obtrusive and dominating as they should be, they give the scenes the extra dimension they need to really pop out.
Comics are a natural home for epic science fiction, that does not make it easy to execute, the creative team here embrace the possibilities and give reader a deep thrill and a powerful reason to come back for more.

A Nightmare On Egg Street. Chris Allen (Writer, Colours, Letters), Juan Fleites (Art) Swampline Comics (2018)

A poultry based parody of A Nightmare On Elm Street that hits the sweet spot with force and accuracy. Teenagers on Egg Street are beginning to be afraid of falling asleep as Freggy Kruger is coming to kill them in their dreams. The story unfolds as it should, following the outline of the film while neatly and cleverly undercutting it. No familiarity with the film is required, the jokes work very effectively on their own, in particular the Johnny Depp jokes which are as sharp as Freggy's razor claws.
Chris Allen has delivered a story which captures the gruesome thrill of the film and successfully makes fun of it at the same time without ever undermining either. The slasher moments work effectively and give an extra lift to the jokes. The humour points up the horror by lowering the tension before it whips back at the reader.
 Juan Fleites' art is friendly and absurd, the chickens are smartly humanoid without while retaining enough chicken aspects to get the jokes and the context to work. The cast are wonderfully expressive and this pulls the reader deep into the story on its own terms. The absurd tension which is critical for the parody to work is achieved with confident skill and consistently telling detail. There is a genuine emotional context that gives the threat weight, the cast are absurd and wisecracking, they also have a vulnerability that makes Freggy the right element of nasty.
The colours bring out the details of the art and control the emotional tone of the story  really well, they give suitable prominence to the parody aspect without ever drowning out the shadows.
Parody is fantastically difficult to get right, the balance is a very delicate one that recognises the essential elements of the original while skillfully paying with them. A Nightmare On Egg Street delivers on all counts, a powerful display of creative imagination, confidence and skill. Great bloody fun.

House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen. Jethro Morales (Writer and Art), Josh Jensen (Colours), Matt Krotzer (Letters). TEN31 Publishing (2017)

Highly enjoyable and engaging supernatural story. Three young friends, Tristan, Wyatt and Andi are playing with the snow, while another boy is making snowmen. He wants to be a wizard and appears to have a book of spells. When animated and distinctly dangerous snowmen appear Tristan, Wyatt and Andi have a sizeable fight on their hands.
Jethro Morales has written an all ages comic that respects its readers of all ages enough to support the key requirements of an supernatural adventure. The threat has to be severe enough to actually present a problem, the solution should arise from smart thinking not just brute force. The story delivers on both, the snowmen are the right side of nasty and they are the prelude to a distinctly more menacing problem. The three children are brave and resourceful, they work together and the way the solve the problem is smart and entirely credible in terms of the story.
The cast are swiftly and economically introduced and are never generic suburban children, they have strong expressive personalities, no one dominates, all have a substantial part to play. Adults exist but are not around to rescue anyone, the children have to solve and save themselves. The art is friendly and very engaging, the context moves from being safe to with deft confidence. The snowmen are great, the first wave are malicious snowmen, the next version is clearly a different order. The action is fast, has weight and impact and is never gory. The story does not need gore, just enough fear, courage, bravado and smart thinking to pull the reader in.
The colouring is great, it gives edge and weight to the details of the art and highlights the strangly burning glow in the snowmen to excellent effect.
The lettering quietly and subtly amplifies the nuances of the writing, the tonal shifts are indicated without being forced, the sound effects are nicely loud and crunchy.
It takes very considerable skill to get the balance right in a story like this, Jerome Morales makes it look easy and natural. A great fun read.

Pistil Zero -"STIGMA" Jessica Star Maison (Writer), Loni Elizabeth Watson (Art), Mark Anthony Macta (Inks, Colours, Letters). Wicked Trwee Press.

A burning, outraged story about sexual violence and retribution. I hate stories that use sexual violence as the point of transformation for a charterer into guise of the powerful lead character. It is repugnant and morally false. Sexual slavery is a blight on humanity and this story is rooted in the violence of sexual slavery and the way it transforms someone from victim to vigilante. It makes a fierce argument about brutal actions that is never a cynical exploitation , it is also a very engaging story that uses the possibilities of being a comic with confident skill and subtle detail.
Lita Soledad escaped from two years of sexual slavery to the USA, haunted by the spirits of her ancestors Las Adelitas, spirits who burn for vengeance. Lita hides the demands of her past and her ancestors untill news from a small town forces her to act in the shape of Pistil. A young girl was assulted and killed herself, now another girl falling into the orbit of the predator.
The story unfolds in an unexpected way, circumstances are not straightforward. The predator is unconstrained appetite, the girl is uncertain, unhappy and desperately seeking something. The story takes the time to give her the depth and scope that victims loose after the assault and they become solely victims. What is very interesting are the cast members that surround the predator, knowing and complicit without ever being actively involved, Jessica Star Maison has a strong opinion about them.
Loni Elizabeth Watson's art is a pleasure, very clearly the work of an creative individual, it manages the time shifts of the story with ease and delivers action and conversation with lovely detail.
The cast are not drawn with naturalistic detail, they are vividly expressive and the use of panels to develop the ideas of the story is masterful. When action is required it is harsh and forceful.
Mark Anthony Macta's inks and colours bring out the details of the art and powerfully deliver the emotional tone of the story. The page where Lita becomes Pistil is superbly done, all the elements of the story combine to great effect.
Pistil is a full tilt story. the creators have made a choice and expressed it with skill, detail and determination, hey have also delivered a story that engages the reader and made a super comic. Fantastic.

Dicken's England. An A - Z Tour of the Real and Imagined Locations. Tony Lynch (Batsford. 2012)

A brilliant idea wonderfully executed. Charles Dickens wrote about places with the same immortal  genius that he wrote about the people in those locations. They are inextricably linked as the cast, the action and the context combine with each other to entice and entrance the reader. Tony Lynch has organised an alphabetical tour of the locations that Dickens's wrote about and that were significant in his life and delivered a deeply engaging book. Each entry has just enough information about it, if it is an actual location it has the historical and current information. Where it is featured in any of Dickens's writings a carefully chosen quotation is provided. The book requires a familiarity with Dickens's works, sufficient biographical details are provided, the cast from the writing are named as familiar friends rather than signposts to literary learning.
The alphabetical organisation solves a significant problem, it allows the biographical and the fictional to be treated equally and allows for multiple views of locations to be set up as they emerge under different guises.
The writing is informative and engaging, there is a considerable depth of research worn lightly as the locations are identified if still existing and given context if they have vanished. The biographical details are used to explain the relevance of a location, the quotes from the writing are used to spotlight the importance of context for Dickens. The balance in the book is confidently maintained, frequently a character is mentioned without a quote, the action is identified only. Sometimes extensive details are provided or longer quotes that given a strong reminder that Dickens wrote to be read.
Tony Lynch has taken an unexpected route to explore Charles Dickens and it is a joy and a pleasure to go along this tour, to revisit the stories in an unusual light and angle and be reminded of the astounding torrent of humanity that roam the locations of Dickens imagination.

Resurrection Men 1. N.S. Paul (Writer), R. Donald (Art) www.nspaul.co.uk (2017)

 A hugely enjoyable and engagingly fresh take on zombies. a smart idea that is executed with confident skill and detail. A widower has his son involved in a fatal accident and somehow restores him. This attracts the attention of some very unpleasant people who are very interested in this talent. Leveraging grief and fear for his son they draw the father into their plans.
N.S. Paul has taken a different route into a zombie story and it creates a different atmosphere and set of story possibilities that are very enticing. A man who has lost his wife to death and may or may not have lost his son is already out of his depth in his own life, when he becomes entangled with someone who has plans for those who have been resurrected the depth increase as does the surrounding darkness and malice. The story sets up everything with deft economy and wonderful confidence. The reader can relax into the story as it unwinds in unexpected and engaging ways.
  R. Donald's art is a pleasure to read and brings the story forward on every level. The use of panels to control the story is superb, the pacing and flow of the story is carefully managed and the emotional tones are brought to the fore with subtle force. The cast are expressive with out ever overacting, the body language and their faces reveal them naturally and with impact. The colours are suitably subdued and used with stunning effect to create the compositions and give depth and detail to the art.
This is a great comic, all the elements work with each other to deliver the story and bring the reader into it, a great comic and a great story. The possibilities have been set up and I greatly look forward to seeing how they are embraced by the creative team.

Deluge 1-3. J.D.Oliva (Writer), Richard P. Clark (Art & Letters). (https://readcomics.io/comic/deluge-2016)

A hugely enjoyable and entertaining cat and mouse crime story set in the flooded  New Orleans in 2005.Following the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina, a group of New Orleans police officers are patrolling using a rowing boat.Their reaction to a man stranded on a rooftop indicates that it may not be a search and rescue mission.S flashback introduces a undercover FBI agent who is working in New Orleans and is presently trapped by the flooding. Who is the cast and who is the mouse shifts nicely as the story unfolds and it nicely sidesteps reader expectations.
For a cat and mouse story to be effective there has to be a compelling context that effectively traps the cat and the mouse and can shelter or expose one or the other at any point. J.D.Olivia uses the  flooded New Orleans to great effect in this role. The flood limits everyone's room for maneuver and severely increases the pressure on all the cast as matters spiral out of control. The cast are engaging and economically introduced via action to the reader, they are as shifty and dangerous as the flood waters and everyone is struggling to maintain control.
Richard P. Clark's art is friendly and engaging, capturing the action and reaction as the cast respond to each other. The context is wonderfully evoked, the rooftops that are the small island in the the flood make you fiercely exposed as well as dry, the flood interiors can be a sanctuary or a trap. The cast are individual and expressive, the action has physical force and impact, the conversations ripple with tension. The colouring  brings definition and weight to the context and cast.
This is a bare bones story that stands or falls on the way that the action and cast are managed, the creators wring every drop of tension and engagement from the story, giving the reader a great deal of pleasure in the process.

Star Power Volume 1: Star Power and the 9th Wormhole. Michael Terracciano (Writer), Garth Graham (Art).

Very engaging and enjoyable science fiction superhero story. Danica Maris is employed on Space Station Sanctury Six as as assistant astronomer until she becomes the Star Power Sentinal, an ancient threath has returned and the Star Power Sentinal is needed again.
The story is a classic superhero set up delivered with tremendous confidence and energy that shows why the genre is so resilient, done well it is very engaging and enjoyable. Michael Terracciano respects the readers enough to provide a straightforward superhero story that embraces the genre with energy and confident skill. The two significant problems of a superhero storyy are managed with care and telling detail. The first is the origin of the superhero, Michael Terraccianohas chosen the transformation route which can be tricky to pull off. How to transform a slightly marginal character into the superhero without annoying a reader is a difficult task, this is part of the essential fantasy of a superhero, the key link for the reader to the character. The transformation in Star Power is very nicely done, Danica Maris is introduced and transformed with skillful economy and attention to detail, the story is in part the extension of the transformation as Danica Maris comes to terms with being Star Power.
The second problem is the opposition, if they are not  powerful enough to be a problem for a superhero then there is no dramatic tension in the story. Michael Terracciano has made this look easy, the threat is substantial and requires the full power and brains of the superhero to manage, it is a happily close fought struggle. The end may never have been in doubt, the journey is great fun and nicely unexpected. 
Garth Graham is a superb science fiction superhero artist, the cast, context and action are exactly what they should be. The cosmic context is created and supported with telling detail, the physical space of the space stations are done with tremendous flair, they feel right, functional and futuristic at the same time. The cast are great, Star Power is clearly a human female without being grotesquely disproportionate, the opposition are different, expressive and powerful. The colouring is science fiction colouring that captures the emotional tones and nuances of the story with care, it gives the context shape and definition critical to supporting the action.
Comics are a natural home for science fiction and Star Power is a hugely enjoyable comic that happily reminds readers why superheros are so much fun.

Snow by Night. Volume 1: Calcination. Eric Menge (Writer, Letters), Brittany Michel (Pencils, Inks), Natalie BaakLini, Britany Michel (Colours), Mythmakers LLC (2017)

A charming and enjoyable fairy story that a very welcome edge. Two thieves, Blaise and Lassart  make a fine living in the town of Sherbourg. Then they find that someone else is getting to their targets ahead of them, a very capable thief who is also robbing from people who have paid protection to to Blaise and Lassart. They hset out to discover who the thief is and when they do they realise that there is much more going on that they had thought.
Eric Menge uses the genre of charming rogues who find that they are playing for higher stakes than they had counted on to great effect by confidently making the rogues rather less charming and rather more thoroughly criminal. They are professional thieves, they may be able to be charming, they are also professionally hard and willing to act harshly to achieve their aims. This gives the story a greater bite and force and means that those who are equally professionally putting pressure on Blaise and Lassart are a genuine threat. Putting the new thief into this mix is skillfully done, a very different motivation pushes the story nicely and sets up the story possibilities in a very engaging and enjoyable way.
The art is engaging and enjoyable, the faux historical context is drawn with detail and energy, this is a costume adventure story with taverns, merchant houses and tricorn hats. Brittany Michel takes advantages of the possibilities to dress the cast with care and the relevant details are provided to ensure that the action is always given the setting it needs. The cast are strongly individual and full of expressive personality, they move through the context with physical force and speed. The fairy tale elements are very nicely integrated within the story and they do not overwhelm or undermine the story.The colours capture the tone of the story with subtle care and give the details of the story shape and clarity.
The creators confidently mix genres  and drive the story with deep skill, balancing the elements so that the reader is engaged and charmed while the story has enough depth and possibilities to leave them waning to see how it will unfurl.

Plume.Volume 1 K.Lynne Smith. (Writer & Art). plumecomic.com

A very engaging western that uses supernatural elements to great effect. Volume 1 contains chapters 1- 5 the whole story is archived at the website. Vesper Grey is  dying of boredom at her aunt's house, left there by her father, an archeologist (Indiana Jones variety),  when he returns and takes her with him on a journey. He is robbed and killed and Vesper pursues a trail of revenge with a companion Corrick. The story is  beautifully balanced between the demand of the two genres, Western and supernatural adventure and the result is tremendous fun.
Vesper is very engaging, emerging into her true self as she set out on her journey and discovering the relish for adventure that is vital to the story. She is determined, dangerous and compelling, engaging the reader from the opening with a sharp wit and forceful personality. She is a tremendous Western lead character, capturing the genre requirements and nailing them. Corrick is the other element of the story, his presence never undermis or overwhelms the Western element, it is a smart counterpoint that instead brings out the depth in the genre and gives a additional depth and flavour. The action takes clasic Western sets up and uses them with joyous confidence and zest, they are neatly and cleverly subverted without ever being mishandled.
The art is a pleasure, from the opening sequence, the powerful expressiveness of the art captures the context and cast with force and care, the core of the story and the cast are established with astonishing economy and effectiveness and as the story doubles back and the details are delivered, the promise of the opening is delivered upon in spades.
The colouring is great, it gives the details definition and weight as well as capturing the tone of the story and strongly expressing it. The sound effects are spot on, they give the story the required boost when needed. There are never enough really good Westerns, Plume is one and a delight to read.

Guilded Age. Volume 1 T. Campbell, Phil Khan (Writers), Erica Henderson (Art) . (http://guildedage.net/)

A hugely engaging and enjoyable heroic adventure that embraces all of the genre requirements and confidently updates and subverts them with very smart story telling and sharp humour. A group of adventurers are hired by the leading power in the continent of Arkerra, Gastonia, as a special team of "Peace Makers". The team are well aware that "Peace" is not really their remit, still they acknowledge that Gastonia are a the lesser of two evils in the fight between Gastonia and the Savage Lands. As importantly they are all adrenaline junkies and action and adventure are as necessary to them as breath and food.
T. Campbell, Phil Khan take a well established genre framework and have a great deal of fun with it without ever betraying or undermining it. The story is smartly structured, opening with an episode that introduces the team in full action before moving back to introducing the team and leading up to the event that lead them to start working together. A pirate band have kidnapped several children of very rich citizens of Gastonia and the lure of adventure and money is potent. The episode unfolds with tremendous confidence and force as the team meet and work together and find that they are good together.
The cast are sharply individual as well as matching genre stereotypes, they are both entirely themselves and who they should be in the conyext of the story. This very difficult task is made look easy and natural by the writing that smarly uses very funny jokes to sharpen the story and give the cast a chance to step out of their genre boundries and reveal themselves as individuals.
Erica Henderson's art is wonderful, it is a pleasure to read, delivering the fantasy version of magical middle ages that is needed by the context. The cast, both the leading players and the walk on parts are given great expressiveness and they move through their context with physical weight.
The colouring brings out all the tones and nuances of the story with subtelty and care, the details are given clarity and depth and the emotional tone of the story is always captured and expressed.
Guilded Age takes readers seriously enough to ensure that the story has depth and reach and at the same time is very funny, the very talented creators mix the elements with subtle
confidence and skill making this a deep pleasure to read.

Discord Volume 1. Simon Watts (Writer), Michael Wojciechowski (Art) (DiscordWebcomic.com)

Very engaging and enjoyable science fiction comic that sets up the context and cast very well and then delivers a substantial event. Discord is a library that lies between the thirteen dimensions of the multiverse, providing knowledge to those who need it. Flora, a young girl who has just moved to Washington DC with her father finds Discord and borrows a book. This turns out to be a bit more complicated than it would appear and Flora becomes an employee of Discord. Discord becomes involved in a major problem on a planet in one of the dimensions, the planet is under attack by the Dread Shark and things do not go well for anyone.
 Simon Watts has solved the problems of starting a story with confidence and nice attention to detail. Discord and the staff are introduced in a natural and effective way that gives each member of the staff a chance to establish themselves. From the good looking adventurous staff, the pedantic robotic staff and the crusty librarian there are no surprises, they all quickly establish themselves ap personalities in their own right and the internal politics of Discord give them depth. When the action starts,  Simon Watts shits the gears of the story seamlessly, mixing a planetary event with up close and personal action by the cast that never looses the balance of the story or slows the momentum. One very welcome aspect to the story is the hard won optimism that emerges.
Michael Wojciechowski's friendly art is a pleasure to read. The lines are soft and inviting, the cast feel organic and are strongly expressive. The aliens are a nice mix of shapes and sizes, all move through the story with force and intent. The art captures the subtle toughness and strength of the writing, there are sharp dark corners in the story that are brought to life with equal force to the quiet moments, the weight of the story is strongly carried forward by the art. The colouring is lovely, it brings out the details of the story and the cast and gives consistent emotional tone to the story. The lettering is quiet and natural except when it delivers the vital sound effect  to make a scene jump off the page.
Discord is a great story and a very inviting comic, it manages to be playful when needed and bitter when required without ever loosing the essential  thread that runs through the story, Discord is a resource to help others and it does so.

Derelict. Book 1: Deluge. Ben Fleuter

A very engaging and enjoyable dystopian science fiction comic. The earth had become hostile to human life, the survivors have been driven off the land onto floating cities. On land strange creatures, misamics rule, creatures of the dangerous fog. Dang Thu Mai is a human scavenger, sailing alone along the coasts and retrieving what she can. She encounters severe trouble and later finds a deserted ship that contains a lot of unexpected information.
Ben Fleuter has created a credible world full of unexpected dangers with wonderful confidence. The silent pages reflects the isolation of Dang Thu Mai she sails her ship on her salvage. The hard work and the megre rewards matched with great risks are displayed with care and detail. The reader is drawn deeply into the world and the struggle for living before the action starts to kick off. When it does it is sharp and fast, the lonely life of a scavenger makes Dang Thu Mai a target for others who see her as an opportunity to scavenge themselves.  Dang Thu Mai responds to the problems in a way that clearly establishes her determination and willingness to defend what she owns.  Another encounter shows just how many creatures now inhabit the earth, before the story shifts a gear with the discovery of the human exploration ship and the assault on a major misamic location.
The art is lovely, the destabilised world littered with the remains of technology and the bones of the hums who used it are provided without ever crowding out the cast or the action. The details show the world and free the cast from the need to tell, the action reveals the story in a very natural way. The cast are very expressive, they are individual and full of personality. The leads and the walk on parts are all given an opportunity to register with the reader and narrative never falters.
The colouring is superb, it catches the mood of the story and gives depth and clarity to the cast and the context. The lettering is clear and easy to read.
Dystopian science fiction has a difficult balance to achieve, the problem has to be big enough to threaten everyone, the survivors have to adapt and still want to reclaim what was lost and the will to struggle. If there is no hope there is no story, if there is no serious struggle there is no drama, Ben Fleuter has managed the balance very well. The problems and difficulties are immense and the personal cost is significant, the will to live shines strongly and that drives the story and hooks the reader in a most enjoyable way.

The Kill Call. Stephen Booth. Harper (2010)

An enjoyable police procedural set in the Derbyshire moors. Hounds from a local hunt find the body of a man with severe head injuries, an anonymous call had place a victim some distance away. Detective Sergent Diane Fry and Detective Constable Matt Cooper have a problematic start to the investigation. The presence of the hunt with the attendant friction between hunters and objectors is a complicating factor. The threads of the investigation pick up with the identification of the victim and his links with the meat industry. The investigation  unfolds carefully as the range of activities the victim was involved in start to increase the number of potential suspects. A split narrative regarding a little know piece of military activity related to Cold War fears comes to a satisfyingly bitter conclusion.
The plot mechanics are the better part of this story, the cast are a little too subdued to actively engage the reader. Diane Fry is a spiky conflicted character who finds that her past is catching up with her in a way that considerably increases the pressure on her in her current position. She is a fish out of water in the rural setting, seeking to escape and finding herself somewhat unmoored rather than free. Her anger and frustration are vividly realised, they just are not applied effectively in the story. The investigation does not move her anywhere further, the circumstances she finds herself in are left open so she is effectively dancing on the spot.
Ben Cooper is from the local area and has deep roots in the community and again he is vividly realised but the interaction between the character and the plot is not very profound. The lead characters have come to critical points in their lives and they wrestle credibly with them, the plot and the investigation runs along side them on a parallel line. This is disappointing as the writing is excellent and it feels like a missed opportunity to give the investigation a greater force and impact. The second plot thread avoids all these issues as it captures with brutal precision the way the past can grip someone and blind them to the present leading to a terrible result. This is so well done it rather highlights the failure of the main story to achieve the same impact.This is a very good crime story. well worth any readers time, the fact that it misses being a great crime story is as much a tribute to the expectations it creates as it is a criticism.

The Shadow Volume Three: The Light of the World. Chris Robertson (Writer), Giovanni Timpano (Art), Fabrico Guerra (Colours), Rob Steen (Letters) Dynamite (2014)

A very enjoyable Shadow story that is really for existing fans. A series of very brutal murders attracts the attention of the Shadow, there is no apparent link between the victims other than the way they are killed and reports of a ghostly figure seen near the crime scenes. As the Shadow investigates the link becomes clear and the Shadow finds a thread that could lead to the killer. The story is very well staged, the action is tremendous and the climax is satisfying. The story uses all the beats of a Shadow story with care and skill, everything a existing fan would require is present and that is the problem. It is a very good Shadow story for a fan, it does require a degree of prior knowledge to appreciate the details of the story. It does not quite catch fire and become a deeply engaging Shadow story nor does it offer an invite to a casual reader to discover the joy of The Shadow.
Chris Robertson has written a smartly constructed and credible Shadow story, the crimes are bold enough to attract attention, the period details are used with effect, never calling attention to themselves they just confidently support the context. The cast are all given the room to be themselves and have a part to play other than being a roll call. The Shadow is given the force and drive that is needed to push the story, his encounters with the killer have weight, the killer is a formidable opponent and this means the Shadow has to work hard to achieve his goal.
 Giovanni Timpano's art captures the physical context with telling detail and the cast move naturally through the context. The Shadow has a brooding, powerful presence that gives him the menace that requires. The action is great, there is a force and weight to the movements and the cast engage directly with each other. The quieter moments are done with care and skill, they bring the reader into the story. The lines are a little too soft for my taste, the cast need a bit more definition in their faces to emerge with a real individuality, they do not quite look like they have lived the lives they have.
Fabrico Guerra's colours are great, they give definition and depth to the cast, they bring out the tones of the story with subtle care. They time shifts are clearly signaled without overwhelming the narrative drive of the story .
Rob Steen's letters are natural and easy to read, they never draw attention to themselves, the sound effects are excellent, they never get in the way of a story where the colouring is used to as a special effect. Any Shadow fan will enjoy this comic, I do not think it would create any new ones.

Rip Haywire and The Curse of Tangaroa!. Dan Thompson (Writer and Artist). IDW Publishing (2011)

A hugely enjoyable and engaging adventure comic that is also laugh out loud funny. Rip Haywire was born to adventure, working with is mother on top secret missions during his school holidays. When Rip has the chance to meet up again with the extremely dangerous Cobra Carson and find the ghost compass he naturally leaps straight in. The following adventure is jet powered two-fisted adventure as Rip discovers that the past is more dangerous than any pit of alligators. The story moves at break neck speed, the action scenes are fantastic, the jokes are superb and the climax unexpected and moving.
Dan Thompson has created something special with Rip Haywire, a thoroughgoing adventure that takes itself seriously enough for the jokes to deliver, they never undercut the story, they enhance it. Rip Haywire is the perfect updating of the adventures from the heroes of previous generations of newspaper strips. He lives for adventure, travels a world full of hidden tombs, elaborate traps in steamy jungles and never met a villain he was not happy to punch.
Cobra Carson is equally iconic, an hourglass figure, and as dangerous as her namesake, she is the femme fatale who doubles as the damsel in distress when needed who finds her soulmate with Rip.
Two walking cliches that should just be stale and faded burst into glorious life due to the stunning combination of Dan Thompson's writing and wonderful art.
The art is deceptively simple, the context is never very detailed, it does not need to be, enough to set the scene for the wonderfully expressive cast. All of the cast, including the walk on parts are given the spark of life that engages the reader so that the action always has depth and consequences. Slathered with humour it is never ridiculous, Dan Thompson clearly established the terms of the story and delivers wholesale. The heroes are larger than life, the villains are completely villainous, the clash is epic. Threaded throughout this is the relationship between Rip and his mother and Cobra and Rip, it is never shortchanged nor is it pushed at the expense of the action. It brings the required depth and humanity to Rip, Cobra and Rip's mother and gives the story the weight it needs to drive the climax.
As well as being a great fun read this is a great comic, it uses the possibilities of mixing art and story with tremendous skill, confidence and talent. Dan Thompson has made a very difficult task look easy and natural, an unlimited pleasure.

House of Fear: The Grumpledowns Gang and the Case of the Mail-Order Shoggoths. Brandon Barrows (Writer), Rafael Loureiro, James Hislope (Art), Jodh Jensen (Colours), Matt Krotzer (Letters). TEN31 Publishing (Summer 2017)

A great fun all ages horror comic that makes a very difficult task look easy. Any all ages comic has to solve a difficult problem, if it leans too heavily to one section of the audience it will loose the others, House of Fear is a great example of how to cater to the widest possible audience with confident delivery and a smart story. Ben Grumpledowns, a young boy gets a surprise when he gets a delivery after sending off to a ad in an old comic. Naturally this is not a good thing. A neatly set up situation releases the problem and within the context of the school Halloween Carnival the problems arise in a very engaging way.
Brandon Barrows' idea of a delivery from a long defunct company listed in the back of an old comic is just catnip to any comic collector who has read these extraordinary adverts with joy and amazement, it gives the perfect lead in with the young cast. The choice of monster is equally wonderful, Shoggoths have the shadow from H.P. Lovecraft on them and are scaled in the story to be threatening without being repulsive.The cast are engaging and energetic, the are not too cute or sawn-off adults, they emerge as children bound on enjoying their lives as much as they can and they give the reader the same chance to enjoy it too.
 Rafael Loureiro' interior art is friendly and full of details that create a believable and solid context. The cast are clearly individual and each is strongly expressive without every being cartoony. The action is fast and exciting. James Hislope delivers the bookends that capture the spirit of the earlier horror comics without breaking the tone or intent of the main story.
Jodh Jensen  colours are great, they bring out the detail of the art and create the emotional tone of the story, when the trouble is revealed it is dark and never overwhelming, the colouring brings the excitement without the possible fear and terror.
Matt Krotzer lettering is quiet and natural, the special effects are as loud and dramatic as required, they give the action a nice extra list that it needs to push the story. Hugely enjoyable.

Watson and Holmes. A Study in Black. Karl Bollers (Writer), Rick Leonardi, Larry Stroman (Art), Paul Mendoza & GuruEFX, Archie Van Buren, Jay David Ramos (Colours), Taylor Esposito, Dave Lanphear, Nicole McDonnell, Wilson Ramos Jr. (Letters) New Paradigm Studios (2013)

A hugely enjoyable and engaging alternative Sherlock Holmes story that confidently moves the cast to different time and context. John Watson is a medical intern in the Convent Emergency Center , Harlem , New York  where he meets Sherlock Holmes who arrives inquiring about a patient who has just been brought in. Holmes makes a suggestion regarding the patient that Watson follows up and this pushes him to visit Holmes at  Hudson's Bookshop, 221b Baker Street Harlem. The case and Watsons's involvement develops very nicely as an extensive and very dangerous conspiracy becomes clear and arrives at a very satisfactory conclusion.
The cast are superb. The headline is that both Watson and Holmes are New York African Americans and the story has a powerful New York context.  What matters is the joyous confidence with which Karl Bollers has written Watson and Holmes, the way that they interact with each other, respond to changing circumstances and in particular the way that John Watson is developed and presented is a huge pleasure. They are utterly true to themselves and their context, the essential details of a Sherlock Holmes story are presented with tremendous understated skill, none are blatantly highlighted and shoved at the reader, they are stitched firmly into the story. Best of all is the key relationship between Watson and Holmes, it is natural and unforced, the motivations for both that underlie their friendship is neatly set up.
The art by Rick Leonardi in the main story is a pleasure to read, it is full of details that firmly anchor the cast in a physical location, the cast are expressive, the body language is eloquent. The cast, including the walk on parts, are all individual, there are no generic characters. They all demand the readers attention without crowding out the action. The quiet moments are as interesting as the action, the cast are interested in what they are saying and that brings the reader into the moment.
In the Epilogue, Larry Stroman's art is distinctively different and equally effective, he captures the tension that runs through a sharp and bitter story that packs a considerable punch in a short space.
The colouring captures the emotional tones of the story and highlights the relevant details with subtle care and craft. This is a noir version of Holmes, the story is dark and even in the light of day there are deep shadows. The colouring shifts tones that track the tone of the story without shouting it, they frame the action and engage the reader.
This is a superb Holmes story, confidently taking the ideas and using them in a engaging and enjoyable way, a pleasure.

Ava's Demon Book 1 & 2. Michelle Czajkowski (Writer & Artist)

A very enjoyable and engaging web comic that hides a dark story underneath glorious art and astonishing colours. Ava is a young woman whose life is blighted by the presence of an unseen companion who torments her. Ava stowaways on a space craft and escapes her school and planet only to be involved in a crash landing on another planet and finds herself dying. This is when she discovers her unseen companion is not imaginary, rather it is someone with an agenda a a plan to fulfill it. Ava strikes an agreement with the entity and survives to discover that her problems have definitely increased. The story unfolds slowly and deliberately, the cast are given time to establish them selves while the context is slowly being revealed. The sharp edge to the story is quietly and very effectively revealed as the reader is drawn deeply into the story and the unfolding possibilities.
The dominant colouring is stunning, it verges on the overwhelming while being extremely disciplined and ordered. It creates the atmosphere of the story, giving it a fairy tale glow and giving the cast a elevated context to move through. It is fantastic camouflage for the cast and the story to move under. The cast have sharp edges, they are forcefully making their way through their lives and willing to act to get their own way. The colours soften them and create a great tension in the story, it allows Michelle Czajkowski to cloak the story very effectively.
The uncompressed storytelling benefits from the wealth of detail on each page, the story is unfolding at a sedate pace, there is always plenty to entice the reader and cumulatively the story possibilities emerge into a very compelling form with considerable possibilities. This is a strongly individual comic from a creator who has justified confidence in her process and the talent to back it up. Ava's Demon casts a deeply seductive spell that a reader will be very happy to fall under.
Chief Wizard Note: I purchased Ava's Demon Book1 & 2 as part of this Webcomics Storybundle!,which I strongly recommend  as great value and a set of excellent and diverse collection of web comics.

Born To Run. Bruce Springsteen (Simon & Schuster 2016)

A very engaging and enjoyable biography that gets a delicate balance just right. Biography is a tricky project to get right, the lives of others are of minimal interest to others outside of a very small, usually connected, circle. Fame does not mean that a life is any more interesting, just that the larger , unconnected circle of people who are familiar with the some aspect of a person's life is larger. Getting the balance right between sharing details about what has made the person famous with enough personal details to support the claim to be a biography is tough. Bruce Springsteen has managed it with grace, charm and sharp humour.
Bruce Springsteen never had a full time job other than being a musician, it is a career he has pursued in spite of hitting a low point that would have served as a full stop to most. He was played a set with an actual teenage garage band in their suburban garage, not as a teenager but as an adult musician desperately hustling work. The desire to play never wavered and the sheer intensity of this comes across consistently through the book, increasing fame has not diminished or increased it, it has simply been an outcome of the brutal determination to do what he feels is job.One of the great pleasures of the book to a fan of his music like myself is the time Bruce Springsteen takes over the details of the process of writing, recording and playing his music. It is fascinating to see what music he talks about and what music he does not, what gets details and what gets mentioned.
Bruce Springsteen is a very deliberate musician, constantly aware of his own limitations and working to compensate for them, writing music with a plan in mind. This does not make the process any easier and the description of how the songs have been written is deeply engaging. His appreciation that what he had in mind and the way the audience understands them is welcome. His exploration of his life as working musician in a business is great, the dynamic balance between himself and the musicians he has worked with, in particular the E Street Band, is explored with sympathetic detail.
The other significant aspect to this book is his relationship with his parents, in particular his father from whom he inherited a difficult mental landscape. His openness about his mental health struggles is understated and natural, is is presented as part of his ongoing existence. The episode where his father and a friend organise a fishing trip in Mexico is a joy, the strange places that family bonds take us is beautifully described.
Bruce Springsteen has traveled very from from his roots because he was wiling to work incredibly hard and make the most of opportunities that came his way. When he got the chance to sing with the Rolling Stones and rehearse with them, he revealed the secret of his long career, he is a unashamed music fan. That is the deepest thread in this book and the one that allows the reader to share the journey with pleasure.

Bionics No. 1. Kim Roberts (Writer), Chris Royal (Pencils), Martinho Abreu (Inks), Chunlin Zhao (Colours), Ken Reynolds (Letters). Markosia (2018)

The first installment of a highly enjoyable and engaging science fiction comic that sets up the cast and story with great energy and force. Beth is convinced by her jailed husband, Ben, to meet someone, Zeke, to recover something from the firm he had worked at. Beth discoverers that the firm and her husband had secrets and also finds out that others want those secrets too. Vivian, who now runs Bionics visits visits Ben and the plot kick off into high gear.
Kim Roberts sets up a mystery story that opens nicely out into a  full throttle science fiction adventure, bristling with ideas and details that are a pleasure to encounter. The cast are engaging, Beth is trying to understand how her life could have been upended so dramatically and is willing to take a chance if it will help her husband. Zeke is a cool, mysterious stranger who knows more than he is revealing up front, Veronica is a classic villain. The two who pursue Beth and Zeke are not as human as they appear.
Chris Royal's and Martinho Abreu's art is a pleasure to read, it is distinctive and expressive, the action is powerfully done, the conversations are natural. The panels are used to great effect to control the pace and focus of the story, they bring the reader deep into the story.
Chunlin Zhao's colours are very effective, they bring out the details of the art, adding expressiveness to to the cast and depth to the context. I really like the way the colours are used to give shape and definition to the clothes the cast wear, they are a strong part of how the cast express who they are.
The letters by Ken Reynolds are unobtrusive, easy to ready and placed naturally in the panels.
Bionics does everything a first issue should do with confidence and flair, establish the cast and engage the gears of the story. I am looking forward to seeing where it moves to from here.

Bad Machinery. The Case of The Team Spirit. John Allison (Writer & Artist). Oni Press (2013)

A wonderfully funny and confident updating of the school student detective team who solve strange mysteries in their town.  In Tackleford, Shauna, Sonny, Mildred, Charlotte, Linton and Jack all starting their first year at Griswalds Grammer School, Shuna, Charlotte and Mildred want to help an old woman keep her home, Sonny, Linton and Jack are investigating if the Russian owner of the local football team is under a curse. The threads develop and twist together in the most glorious fashion and finally are resolved in a highly satisfactory way.
John Allison has managed to update the genre requirements for mystery solving school children without winking at the audience about how obviously absurd the whole set up is and that he and the reader are both in on the joke. The cast is serious and the story is extremely funny and the mix is perfectly judged. Enough time and detail are given for the school time, home lives and the story threads for all of them to contribute to the overall impact of the book. The adults and the children interact with each other in highly credible and funny ways that never feel forced or deliberately set up.
The mystery team are individual, smart, uncertain and funny, they spark off each other and try to navigate their lives with tremendous energy and force. The perils of school life are just as terrifying as the dangers of the football mystery.
The art is a pleasure to read, it is friendly and open, the cast are sketched with great expressiveness, body language is as eloquent as dialogue. The bright colours catch the mood and tone of the story perfectly and the lettering is natural and unobtrusive.
John Allison has the confidence and talent to pull of a very difficult task, he has written a story that has a joke in every strip that never feels overloaded or rushed. The story moves in all sorts of directions and consistently remains true to the cast, it never makes the children to be short, smart mouthed adults, they are smart engaging children.
Bad Machinery is a web comic and the transition to a physical book is seamless, the oversized horizontal format gives enough space for two strips per page , each at a lovely big size that gives the art the room to make an impact.
Comedy is hard work, lighthearted, charming comedy is fantastically hard work, John Allison makes it look easy and natural, what a treat for readers.

To Pixar and Beyond. My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs To Make Entertainment History. Lawrence Levy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (2016)

A very engaging and enjoyable story about the way that Pixar overcame three very serious problems to launch Toy Story and the company on to huge , deserved, success. Success can look pre-ordained after it has been achieved, this story shows the deep uncertainty that existed before Toy Story was released and Pixar became the brand it is today.
 The three problems that had to be solved were, having the money to make Toy Story, a lopsided contract with Disney that posed a problem for money in the future to make more films and Steve Jobs.
Lawrence Levy was asked by Steve Jobs to join Pixar to help develop the company, actually get the company fit and ready for an IPO so that Steve Jobs could realise the value of his investment as the owner of Pixar. Lawrence Levy took the job for the challenge, without realising the actual scale of the challenge, became deeply enamored with the potent creativity contained in Pixar and set about resolving the problems.
Lawrence Levy has a talent for explaining business in a way that is clear, direct and engaging. He always places the people in the context and the context  in terms of the business. Pixar was a problem for Steve Jobs, his plan for the company had not developed the way he had intended and he was looking for a way to get what he wanted. The staff at Pixar were committed and creative and felt deeply that they had been severely shortchanged by Steve Jobs.
The contract with Disney was an industry standard, Steve Jobs signed it without realising how restrictive it would be for a company that was making hugely time consuming and expensive animated films, the contract would only provide sufficient money to Pixar to continue to make films under very limited circumstances.
The story of how these problems were resolved is engaging because Lawrence Levy  shows how much any business is reliant on the people involved, their decisions, attitudes and engagement. The hard slog of identifying the problem, scoping a solution, getting agreement and implementing it is described with care and detail, enough explanation for those unfamiliar with the processes, not so much to drown everyone in details. The subtle creativity of top flight business managers is demonstrated with delicate care, there is no chest thumping, no macho declarations of dominance, there is patient and thoughtful considerations of how to solve a problem.
One of the most striking aspects to the story is the way that Lawrence Levy consistently highlights the work of others and lets his own work rest in the background. It pulls the reader into the story as they get to feel the tension and  understand the stakes, although the outcome is established the process is fascinating.
This is not a business book, it is a story about a particular business at a particular time, superbly told and pleasure to read.