Return to Sender. Issue 1. David Summey, Roger L. Boyes, Mark Freeman (Writers), David Summey, Vincent Atkins (Art), Andrew Pate (Colours), Jerome Gagnon (Letters). RMD Comics (2020)

 

Very enjoyable and entertaining supernatural western. An unnamed Post Officer delivers the mail on the frontier in the United States, he also pursues the problems that lie behind mail marked Return to Sender. There are many supernatural forces and creatures that are preying on the settlers as the move into the depths of the country and the Post Officer has the work of finding and dealing with them. Return to Sender post from the town of Cedarwood leads the Post officer there and he finds and empty saloon and blood. There are marks on the wall written on blood and then trouble arrives in full force. The reveals are very well set up, the action is up close and fierce and the conclusion a hook to bring the reader to the next issue

The writers have arrived at a great balance of supernatural and western, the boundaries of each genre are respected, and the cross overs are vivid and never throw off the story. The supernatural arises naturally from the western context, the way it is fought supports the requirements of the genre. A lone rider coming into town to tackle trouble is a classic western set up and it is delivered with force and energy.

The art by Vincent Atkins is engaging and frames and moves the story with care and skill. The page layouts give the action the wise spaces it needs, and the up-close focus bring the tension to the suitable point. The cast are expressive and full of energy. The Post Officer is a lone hero in a great tradition, he is not a cowboy which is a nice shift given the mountainous context. The lone civilians do their duty with energy, and credible motivation.

The colouring by Andrew Pate is lovely, it brings out the details if the art and the story very nicely, it gives the cast a depth and solid physical presence hat adds greatly to the story.

Jerome Gangon’s lettering is really nicely framed in the narration boxes, picking up on the post theme without beating the reader on the head, the dialogue flows naturally in the art and never distracts.

Fetch Travis Gibb (Writer), David Summey (Art), Jason Finestone (Colours), is a short back up story that shows that the Post Officer’s experienced eye is vital. A theft has been committed and the Post Officer acts to recover what has been stolen. The story is a very nice additional light on the story universe, it expands it neatly and economically.

A very enjoyable comic and a very inviting introduction to a series.