Blackbox Comics 2020
On Sale Jan 29th 2020
Written & Inked by Andy Owens
Illustrated by Patrick Blaine
Coloured by Teo Gonzalez & Claudia Giulinai
Lettered by Dezi SientyCop turned Correction Officer, Max, is unknowingly thrown into a blood bath when an experiment on the infamous killer “The Slasher” goes wrong.
Absolute Power corrupts absolutely is how the saying goes and sometimes I find it interesting when we meet someone who is corrupted completely before even gaining any power whatsoever. Our mysterious man who is the first person we meet is one such person whom I believe was born without a soul. His thirst for money and power is all that he wants and he’ll do anything to get it. So in my humble opinion he’s the one the devil sold his soul to. Alright so if you haven’t been able to tell yet I am more than impressed with what Andy is doing here and how we see the characters and how we form opinions of them.
The story & plot development that we see here with how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid down before us extremely well. I really am loving the way that this story takes us through these events and circumstances and shows us the direction the story is taking but it doesn’t put down anything in stone. Like time the story is nicely fluid so that while we can get swept up in it’s flow you have no idea when or if the rapids will hit. The character development really is utterly phenomenal and that applies to all the characters we meet throughout the issue. Even to the point where as a reader I have already begun to suspect some individuals of not being whom they seem. The pacing is fantastic as it takes on the journey through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way all of which help to create the books ebb & flow.
I found myself engaged in this story very quickly and as my mind wandered through a world of possibilities I realised that this was already under my skin and it’s something that I want, nay need, to see more of. Not just of Max who’s the series good guy, but of our mysterious bad guy as well because let’s face it the villain always tends to be inherently more interesting. Although Max is flawed and complex and if I may say pretty damn hot so seeing more of him, more of him hint, is always a good thing.
The interiors here are really extremely well done. The linework that we see and how the varying weights are utilised to bring out the attention to detail show a strong and steady hand. Also that we see backgrounds as often as we do and how they incorporate into the composition inside the panels show this great depth perception, scale and bring an overall sense of size and scope to the book. I like how we see faces and facial expressions as they really do bring that extra level of characterisation that words alone can’t do. I really like the linework and I see so much talent here as well. The creativity and imagination on display is great and once the crazy starts well that just gets even better. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this stellar eye for storytelling. The colour work is great! There are different techniques here for different effects, the blood for example has it’s own deal that some frakkin amazing work. The colour blocking utilising the various hues and tones within any given colour to create the shading, highlights and shadow work are beautifully rendered. There is some phenomenal talent on display with the interiors here.
The lettering we see is significantly important as well and to see how that’s utilised in various ways is impressive as well something most overlook. So this is a first issue extravaganza as it not just introduces us to the story, the characters and this world but it grabs you by the collar and pulls you into its embrace. It pulls you in hard too like you’ve been away from your significant other for six months and suddenly it’s time to unleash. Blackbox is one of those publishers I discovered last year and this year it looks like it’s going to make it’s mark in the industry and rise the ranks to one of those you can’t live without.
