One-Eyed Jack. Volume 1. Anthony E. Zuiker (Creator), Felipe Cagno (Script & Editing), Brao (Art), Deyvision Manes (Lettering). Timberwolf Entertainment (2020)

 

A very engaging attempt to comprehend and remember the mass shooting carried out by Stephen C. Paddock in Las Vegas on October 1 2017 where 58 people were killed.

Anthony E. Zuiker and Felipe Cagno have developed a singular and thoughtful way to confront the inescapable problem that lies at the heart of the event. There is no way to communicate why Stephen C. Paddock would shoot some many people from his hotel balcony, firing down into a crowd assembled for a music concert. I do not believe that Stephen C. Paddock himself could do this, all that would be provided are some words which would never be able to convey the unimaginable mental process that supported his actions. The regular choice is a straight reconstruction with some class of commentary to allow the reader to feel that it was explained and contained.

The creators have taken a significant creative risk with this story, one that in less talented hands have been reduced to a tacky parable and failed to be respectful to the lives of those who had been lost. In this version the Devil is a hitchhiker picked up by Stephen C. Paddock on his journey to Las Vegas. Significantly it is not the Devil who is inspiring the actions, Stephen C. Paddock had already loaded his car with his guns and ammunition.

The Devil is an opportunity to that deadly intent was already in motion, to engage a little with the killer and to provide the reader with a entry into the narrative. The scope of the damage that is planned is flagged by the fat that the Devil wants to hitch a ride with this man, his interest and curiosity are the signal that something beyond the normal range of human action is on its way.

At Las Vegas Lady Luck is manifested and has conversations with the killer as he gambles and rides his luck up to an inevitable fall. Lady Luck warns us that this is already on the cards, it will happen, there will be success that will directly lead to failure. There is no sense that the failure was the reason for the shooting, it was more likely the way the killer chose to enrage himself enough to act, to get the energy to jump over the barriers he may have had to starting his kicking spree.

The art by Brao is superb, it is never natural or cartoony, it is angular and deeply expressive. It creates the context where the Devil and Lady Luck are naturally part of the action without disruption the mote mundane details of the story or the location. The colours are vivid and sharp, they bring the emotional tones of the story to the fore without ever shouting them.

Deyvision Manes has delivered lettering that stylistically fits in exactly with the art and the intent of the comic without ever loosing any legibility or drawing undue attention to itself.

One-Eyed Jack is a tremendous comic, setting up the time prior to the shooting with skill, detail and avoiding any attempt to claim to understand more than it does.

Dr. Dinosaur’s Time Travel Through the Back Door. Brian Clevinger (Writer), Eric Trautmann/Fedora Monkey Studio (Art& Design). Tesladyne LLc (2019)

Laugh out loud, perfectly balanced explanation of the perils and possibilities if time travel from Dr Dinosaur, villain from the Atomic Robo books.

This is the About the Author page as it does the work perfectly, “ Doctor H’sssk Dinosaur is a handsome brain genius from the K-T extinction event that was caused when you jerks activated your Large Hadron Collider and unwittingly sent stupid energies 65,000,003 years backwards through time thus perturbing the orbit of an otherwise perfectly stable and harmless asteroid not that he’s bitter about it.

He is the author of the autobiography I’VE BEEN EVERYWHEN ,MAN, and numerous doomsday plots”

The mix of the wonderfully ridiculous, science and supervillain threats that are indicated in the above are wonderfully expanded upon in the book.

Dr. Dinosaur has a grudge against humanity and is determined to deliver on it via a mas extension event of his own, failing that capturing and killing anyone he can, will have to suffice in the meantime. He is also fantastically vain and wants his human audience to recognise and appreciate as much as our stupid monkey brains can. The book is trying to serve this agenda and it does so with flair, humour and a sharp balance between stupid villainy and genuine threat.

The book is dictated by Dr Dinosaur to a terrified hostage Gary whose frantic message throughout the text, inserted when he can, are funny and horrifying in exactly the correct proportions.

The discussions Dr Dinosaur makes about time travel include the clearest explanation of why time travel does not change the future that I have ever read. Time Travel stories are sometimes confusing as there is an need to balance current and future events in a coherent whole, having neatly solved the problem Dr. Dinosaur is free to deliver his thoughts of time travel tourism and the problems encountered by the only groups of humans to successfully develop time travel.

No knowledge of Atomic Robo continuity is needed to enjoy this book, it is happily self-contained and inviting to all. Funny science fiction is very hard to do successfully, Brian Clevinger makes it appear natural, unforced, and easy.

 

Glow 1-4 Ray Chou, Vincenzo Ferrero (Writers), Anny Maulina, Dia Ja (Art), Bryan Valenza (Colours), Nic Shaw (Letters). Mythopeia (#1-3, 2019, #4 2020)

 

A very engaging and enjoyable fantasy. Caszy and her younger bother Koken live in the settlement of Shoddai with Kelbourne the leader of the settlement. Shoddai is on the edge of the Wasteland where ruins of previous civilisations lie among the sands.  Caszy and Koken scavange the wasteland for artifacts with runes on them, runes that have the blue glow that contain and control power. A find in the wasteland and a visit by a stranger cause tension between Caszy and Kilbourne and an explosion leads to trouble. The story unfolds as trouble in a much bigger form arrives at the gates of Shoddai.

Ray Chou and Vincenzo Ferrero are wonderfully confident writers, the story starts right in with no background, the context is simply presented as it is, the focus is the cast. There is clearly a great deal of history that everyone in the story knows and the reader does not, everyone is too busy trying to live their lives to be thinking too much about it. The cast are really engaging, they have clear individual voices and strongly expressed fears and desires. They run up sharply against each other as the circumstances of the story squeeze them harder and harder.

Caszy is a great leading character, she is holding on the security of her brother and Shoddai with an angry ferocity, the memory of being exposed and vulnerable in the wasteland has marked her deeply. Koken has a greater confidence and internal security that makes him frustrated at the restrictions he feels are being placed on him. They give the story a strong emotional core that makes the impact of the action all the greater.

The end notes in each issue, notes made by Koken are great, they are a smart way of adding to the story and sense of the world that it is taking place in.

Anny Maulina and Dia Ja’s art is a lush pleasure, the setting is delivered with skill and detail, the physical context has a strong physical presence and the cast are completely at home in it. The move naturally and are highly expressive, the action is flowing and effective, the quiet moments are full of interest as the body language and the attitudes of the cast are vivid and clear.

Bryan Valenza’s colours are so natural as to almost not be noticed; they are just so right that it takes a second to realise just how much work they are doing. The bring out the details of the story, the context, and the cast and invite the reader into the story. The blue of the glow is subtly different, it is clearly something other, but it never draws attention from the rest of the scenes.

Nic Shaw’s letters, with one glaring exception, are models of clarity and ease of reading, they flow naturally with the art and never distract the reader. The lettering on the creator information page is appalling, it is a triumph of style over legibility. I wrestled with it to understand the content and was frustrated by the cunning way the script and page colour combined defied my attempts. I finally had to consult a different Mythopeia comic to be able to establish some basic information.

Glow is a luscious comic, the confident start to an engaging story delivered by a wonderfully talented crew.