Scavenger 01. Kim Roberts (Writer), Megan Huang (Art). Markosia Comics (2016)

Very engaging science fiction that sets up strong story possibilities with style and economy. The planet Arin has been devastated, those in power have fled to a floating city, those left behind are scavengers on the remains of the industrial past. Aidan is a scavenger who is not all he seems, Caleb is a prince in the floating city who is also not all he seems. Aiden finds something, someone else finds out about the discovery and the story gears are fully engaged. This is a lovely mash up, a fairy tale written as sciemnce fiction where the essential elements of both are beautifully put together to make a very enjoyable mix.
Any first issue as a significant and difficult task to accomplish, establish the story, the context, the cast and to get enough action to entice the reader to want to know more. Scavenger 01 accomplishes all of this with confident skill. The story and the context are set up with great economy, the key background items are provided with sufficient detail to make sense and quickly enough so that the story can get going.
After the context and background the story itself is set up really impressively. There is a tremendous amount of information being delivered, the pace is never forced or slowed down. The story just unfolds in an very natural way just as it should to bring the reader to the vital stage at the end of the comic. The cast are slightly secondary to the information and the needs of the set up, they are still given a chance to be themselves. Caleb gets more room than Aidan, anger is going to stand out more clearly than calmness at first, Aidan is given sorrow which can be more powerful ultimately than anger. The final panel is proof that cliches become cliches because they work.
Megan Huang's page layouts are great, a strong variety of sizes and shapes controls the flow of the story and concentrates reader attention where she wants it to go. The art is angular and sharp, the cast are distinctive and move with great force and physical impact. In a close up the facial expressions are meaningful and express the character strongly.
I am knocked out by the clouring. In any science fiction comic colour is a critical element, in Scavenger the colours create an alien context that supports the action beautifully. Some of the panels have sharp background details, sometimes Megan Huang uses a solid block of colour only. This is a really confident choice, the colour has to capture and frame the action perfectly or else it will read in an off key way. These panels just work fantastically, they are really expressive and give a really strong signature to the comic and boost the story.
The lettering is subtle and clean, the sound effects loud and strong.This is a great start to a interesting story that has great possibilities.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy kindly sent by Kim Roberts. You can purchase a copy, (which you should as excellent science fiction comics are know for their vast healing powers,) here  https://www.comixology.co.uk/Scavenger-1/digital-comic/417729?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy

Mr Crypt No. 1. Troy Vevasis (Writer), Aleksander Jovic (Art). Alterna Comics (2016)

Very engaging and charming comic that uses animation structures to great effect. On a night in 1932 a skeleton emerges from a grave and sets off to the nearby town where the locals assume he is an evil skeleton and chase him (with torches and pitchforks of course). The skeleton escapes capture, finds somewhere to hide, befriends a rat and sets about organising his life.
When the central idea is this simple the burden fall almost completely on the execution and the comic rises to the challenge with such ease and confident skill that it is a pleasure to read.
Troy Vevasis takes a very smart approach to the structure of the comic, it is a series of short episodes, each complete in themselves and with a running gag that provides a connection. The structure is similar to that used by short serial animated shows and it works really well here. The running gag is actually about running and it keeps the necessary tension into the story, it allows the natural easy humour of the writing come through as a counterpoint. Mr Crypts kind nature, he befriends a starving rat  is contrasted with the fear and rage of the mob that chases him. At the same time Mr Crypt is a walking skeleton so the reaction of the villagers is entirely understandable. The heart of the story is misunderstanding rather than hate and this creates story possibilities that Troy Vevasis takes full advantage of.
Troy Vevasis has taken a considerable risk with Mr Crypt, an uncomplicated story line leaves the writer no room to recover from a false note, everything has to work, each episode has to deliver something. It needs very considerable talent and confidence to make this work as well as they do in this comic.
Aleksander Jovic's art has the utterly essential friendliness needed to deliver the story, the idea is essentially horrific and it need to retain a slight edge while not being threatening. It has to make the absurdity of the situation normal, just not too normal. The slightly cartoony art manages all of this with ease, the villagers look angry but not baleful, the skeleton is a friendly as a skeleton can possibly be. The very ridiculous disguise that Mr Crypt uses is just a joy, it nails the story idea  and establishes the story universe with playful accuracy. The bright colours capture and emphasise the story ideas, the shadows are friendly not frightening. They are really strong as the story has the room for them, they are not subtle except in the way that the overall effect is, they chime so well with the story intent that they also hide their craft in plain sight. The lettering is quiet and natural, the sound effects are smart and capture the moments with the right weight and volume.
The "All Ages" label can be a death notice for any project, it runs the risk of being too obvious for adults, too condescending for teenagers and too thin for young children. Mr Crypt is a comic that can be read with pleasure by anyone because it is not "All Ages" it is simply true to the creators vision and delivers charm, craft, friendship, danger and complete absurdity with confidence.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy very kindly sent by Troy Vevasis, you can purchase Mr Crypt 1 (and you should the quiet charm will reduce stress and increase happiness) from  Mr. Crypt #1 - Comics by comiXology. 

Chronicles Of Terror. Edited by Kim Roberts. WP Comics Ltd. (2016)

A very engaging and enjoyable anthology of horror stories. This anthology takes a big tent approach to horror stories, there is a very wide range of stories and styles and very impressively the anthology feel like a unified collection rather than stories randomly collected in the same place. This is a piece of very skillful editing, without the support of a unifying idea, other than the rather nebulous one of horror stories, there is a considerable chance that the stories will work against each other rather than together. They do not, the wide range is a pleasure rather than a distraction, the skills of the creators are showcased rather than buried.
In any anthology there is room for a considerable variation in the quality of the stories, with such a large number of stories it a real possibility. None of the stories are less than interesting and some are excellent. Short stories are a very difficult form to manage, there is just enough room for the idea, it has to be presented in action, the set up and the climax are very compressed. The contributors in this anthology have all exploited this compression very well, using varying lengths to get the story where it needs to be.
Shots between Fangs, Angelo Dias (Writer), Dann Franco (Art), Raq's Rodigues (Colours), Raphael Andrade (Letters). This story uses the compression to tremendous effect, it has a brutal momentum from the start to the ending, there is no context or explanation, just the action of the moment. The tremendous and assured confidence of the writing, the great idea is has and the sheer momentum all combine seamlessly. Dann Franco's art is angular, expressive and delivers action with real physical force and weight. The colors by Raq's Rodigues are pitch perfect, they bring out all the tones of the story without ever overloading it. The letters are quiet, they never draw undue attention, Raphael Andrade's sound effects on the other hand are a brutal joy, they are just as loud and squelchy as required.
Can We Come In? Michael Gordon (Writer), Brian Azcurra (Art), Nikki Sherman (Letters) is a really smart piece of writing that plays very nicely with reader's expectations. Brian Azcurra's beautiful black and white art is a pleasure to read, the physical context is strongly developed and the cast are astonishingly expressive. The second to last panel is a minor masterpiece of calmly presented horror and terror. the letters by Nikki Sherman are subtle and feel very natural within the panels.
Insanitarium Chris Gates (Writer & Letters), Haraldo (Art) is comprehensively and successfully in the readers face right up to the conclusion. Mixing mental health and splatter risks removing any tension from the story, Chris Gates has a sharp angle that brings it all horribly together. The slightly overheated art by Haraldo is exactly what the story needs to bring out the manic element that gives the story its tremendous energy.
The Mirror, Kim Roberts (Writer), Denis Vermesse (Art), Nikki Sherman (Letters) is a correctly dominated by the powerful art. The story is simple and effective, the art pulls every nuance and possibility up for the reader to relish. The colours are intense and verging on the claustrophobic,and they give the story the off -kilter atmosphere it needs to deliver.
No One Checks Out, Kim Roberts (Writer), Pietro Vaughan (Art), Nikki Sherman (Letters). The black and white art  is simply staggering, it engulfs the reader and gives the story the heavy physical presence that it needs. Nikki Sherman's letters are never swamped by the art, they are clear and natural.
Together Forever Alexander Altman (Writer), Borislav Maljenovic (Art), Angel Rd (Colours) , Cristian Docolomansky (Letters) is wonderfully paced, the reveals are cunningly staged and it is genuinely unnerving. The art by Borislav Maljenovic is a pleasure to read, the cast move through their context with expressive body language, the details of the house are all really strongly presented. The colours by Angel Rd give depth and weight to the situation and allow the situation emerge in its own right without every forewarning the reader. Cristian Docolomansky's letters are natural and easy to read.
This is a tremendous, generous anthology that is a pleasure to read.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy kindly sent by JoJo King. To purchase a copy, you should it is tremendous value and a treasure of excellent comics, it is available here,  Chronicles of Terror - WP Comics Ltd. | DriveThruComics.com

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack. Mark Hodder. Snowbooks Ltd (2010)

A wonderfully engaging and enjoyable alternative steampunk Victorian adventure. Sir Richard Francis Burton is shocked when the proposed debate with Jon Hanning Speke regarding the source of the Nile is cancelled due to Speke suffering a gunshot injury. Burton, feeling a little stranded in his life is recruited by the Prime Minister. Lord Palmerston to be the "King's Spy", to investigate problems that need to be managed discreetly. The first case is to investigate Spring Heeled Jack, a strange figure who has assaulted a number of young women. The story unfolds with tremendous momentum, constantly surprising and intriguing details of  unexpected inventions. The reveals are cunningly staged and the plot threads are pulled very tightly.
Mark Hodder takes as very considerable risk at the key point in the story that could easily have derailed the whole project, instead it weaves cunningly back into the narrative and provides a critical perspective that ensure that the conclusion is both satisfying and packs an emotional punch
This is not the England of Queen Victoria, it is the England of King Albert, a time when industrial and social forces struggling for dominance and power, this is an alternative route for history where unexpected knowledge allows a genius to imagine and execute new technology which in turn pushes society into cleverly conceived new directions. Mark Hodder has a number of story problems to solve to deliver a successful steam punk fantasy and he manages all of them with confidence and skill. The cast have to be recognisable as versions of the historical originals, otherwise the critical tension between history and the alternative is lost and the steampunk impact is essentially lost. Mark Hodder has used enough of the essential details of the significant cast to allow them to be alternatives of themselves, free standing in the context of the story and still in touch with their  historical avatars. The widely altered and still recognisable details of Victorian England allow the steam punk elements to function to the fullest extent. The steampunk elements have to be both steam and punk, they have to be an accelerated and old fashioned solutions to problems and Mark Hodder has a masterful control and expressive imagination that delivers the most astonishingly suitable steam punk elements.
The large cast are bold, energetic and all have a chance to register with the reader. From Richard Burton himself to a retired street lamp lighter they all speak for themselves and have something to say. The relationship between the plot mechanics and the cast is managed beautifully, the way that actions and reactions ripple against each other is gripping. Mark Hodder boldly sets up story possibilities and never undermines his own terms.   This is a glorious stew of a book, it has sharp ideas that are fully realised and memorable cast, a delight and a very considerable achievement.

The Golden Calf. Helene Tursten. Laura A. Wideburg (Translation). Soho Crime (2003)

A very enjoyable Swedish police procedural. A man is found murdered in a his very expensive house, his wife was a partner in a very high profile failed dot com enterprise. When two further victims are found the connections to among all of the the victims start to accumulate. Inspector Irene Huss is assigned to the case and the investigation leads directly into the welter of greed and pursuit of massive financial returns that underlay the dot com bubble. The investigation is very well set up, the leads are plausible, the reveals are very well staged and the final unraveling is thoughtful and satisfying.
The plot mechanics are really well set up, the excesses of the dot com which seem so astonishing in retrospect were entirely self perpetuating in the heat of the scramble for the new frontier of commerce and consumers money. Helene Tursten uses this background very convincingly to draw a very tight plot around an group of sufficiently unscrupulous people who rode the wave of investment money for all it was worth. The consequences of the the bursting of the bubble and the way that so much money simply evaporated are neatly followed through.
The cast are a pleasure to spend time with, Irene Huss is competent, confident, successfully married and a working mother. She is making all the aspects of her life work with the support of her family and a willingness to get on with her life as it comes to her. The rest of the cast are given room to breathe and express themselves, their professional and domestic lives are not spectacular, they provide enough detail to lift them up and give them enough depth to engage the reader.
With a central character as calmly competent as Irene Huss the book is rather low key, the internal conflict in an investigation that is a feature of the genre is absent. The reader has to be pulled into the story by the suggestive details of the plot and the cast. Helene Tursten has considerable confidence in her writing that lets the story work for itself and the reader is quietly and very firmly engaged by the writing without ever being battered by it. The story is never slow, it is always in motion either professionally or domestically and the balance between the two is natural and strong. There is room for the reader to slip fully into the story and enjoy the unraveling of the plot as it twists and uncoils in a unexpected and satisfying way.
The translation by Laura A. Wideburg manages the tricky task of appearing to be both the first language of the story and keeping it clearly and naturally a Swedish context. First rate crime fiction.

Relics of the Dead. Ariana Franklin. Bantam Books (2009)

A very engaging and enjoyable historical mystery. In 1176 two skeletons are discovered in Glastonbury, one of the holiest sites in England and reputed to be the burial place of King Arthur. Henry II needs to establish the truth about the skeletons, they could provide a rallying point for the Welsh against his expanding rule. Henry sends Adelia Aguilar, the woman he calls his Mistress of the Art of Death to investigate. Adelia travels reluctantly and in the company of a friend who is trying to secure her inheritance from her husband's family. Adelia arrives at Glastonbury, which had  suffered a  recent major fire and starts her investigation. The reveals are cleverly set up and the plot uncoils in happily unexpected ways. The threads are deftly pulled together to a sharp and deeply satisfactory conclusion.
For any historical mystery context is critical, it has to be convincing and not obtrusive, Ariana Franklin manages this with tremendous confidence and skill. She spends very little time explaining anything, confident that the reader will pull the information from the context. This brings the reader very quickly into the story and the cast make the context work for them. The plot mechanics are in tune with the context, they could not simply be transferred to an alternative context. They catch the political and social dynamics of the time and this gives them weight and impact. The multiple threads of the story are all used imaginatively and carefully, each has a pay-off that does not distract or side track the story.
The cast are tremendous, they are full of energy and down to the smallest walk on part all demand the readers attention. Adriana Franklin takes an enjoyable risk by having a female lead, one who was trained in a foreign university and who travels with a Arabic attendant. This gives Adelia enough distance from the context to be able to investigate it with fewer preconceptions, it also creates the risk of plausibility. A woman challenging powerful men in a such a context could just feel like wishful thinking. Adriana Franklin avoids this due to her talent and craft, the precarious situation that Adelia occupies is always clear, her strength of character is also vivid and carries her forward. She is smart, competent, brave and frail all at the same time, she has the warmth and strength to make her utterly believable and to bring the story to glowing life.
With such a strong central character, the rest of the cast have the room to push forward as well and the dangerous situations that arise have a menace and force that they need. A pleasure to read.

First Frost. James Henry. Corgi Books (2011)

A very enjoyable and entertaining crime story. Denton, a town in England in 1981 is facing a series of armed robberies and the threat of IRA bombs. When a Detective Inspector goes missing, Detective Sargent Jack Frost is assigned the case of a young girl who goes missing from a department store. The investigation is pursued in an unpredictable fashion as Jack Frost follows the leads in his own fashion. When the missing Inspector is located the problems increase and the the threads of the story are neatly pulled together.
This is billed as a prequel to the DI Jack Frost stories written by R.D. Wingfield, the problem is that this is not really true. The cast have the same names and the same context, they are also appreciably not the same cast as those in the original stories. This is not a problem, the cast, context and plot all stand clearly on their own and are strong enough to support a new direction. R.D.Wingfield's Jack Frost had a dark spark, there was a genuinely sharp edge to him, it was part of the striking confidence that R.D.Wingfield had a writer that his leading character was essentially unpleasant and unsympathetic. James Henry's Jack Frost does not have the same shadows, he is scruffy and undisciplined, sharing much more in common with the character from the television series than from the books.
The plot mechanics are very well constructed, the rabies alert sub plot is superb, an apparent dark joke that subtly become something much more substantial. The bigger plot regarding the missing police inspector and the armed robberies is very well paced, the reveals are cunningly set up and the criminals are tough and competent. The IRA bombing campaign in the UK is used with care and smart timing.
Jack Frost is an engaging character, in the throes of a failing marriage and a significant problem to his superiors, he is also a capable and thoughtful investigator. The supporting cast are all given the time and space to make an impact, Superintendent Mullet is not played for laughs or as entirely incompetent. He takes all the opportunities to be ridiculous that he is given, at the same time he is treated with a degree of sympathy that allows him to breathe. There is a large cast in the story and it greatly benefits from the multiple perspectives. They create possible story possibilities that can be explored further and develop the individual context for the series very strongly.
This is a book that should step out of the shadow of the Detective Inspector Jack Frost and embrace the career of Detective Sergeant Jack Frost (no relation) and strike off on its own path. It has the depth to do.