Ascencia #8

Ascencia #8

Wake Entertainment 2021

Written by John Domayan

Illustrated by Tony Parker

Coloured by Blond

Lettered by Taylor Esposito

The tide is turning on Talisman as the forces pursuing him piece together the puzzle that will ultimately unravel him and end his reign of terror.

I am really enjoying this story a whole heck of a lot. I mean Arthur’s presence here has stirred up a hornet’s nest of activity through his efficiency and dedication to what he does. This has caused him to have attempts made on his life and to be disliked and distrusted by many in the AIB. There are a myriad of reasons for why this is so and if you read this book you’ll learn them for yourself but suffice it to say the closer he and Carpenter get to the truth and the culprit the more dangerous things become. I don’t know John, I do know he’s the drummer for System of a Down and a songwriter so he’s familiar with telling stories that have emotion and feelings. It is great to see that he’s able to expand his writing skills to this medium and to make such a strong impact upon me with his skill, talent and ability. Also that this whole series feels like it’s one giant arc makes me a happy camper because it just shows that you can create something akin to a sweeping epic that needs to run its course.

I am a huge fan and supporter of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter keep their personalities ever growing and evolving. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages it leaves us invested, engaged and wanting more.

I greatly appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. The avenues that are opened up through the layers are fantastic and add this wonderful depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably rendered.

I think Tony’s work on the interiors here is some of the best, most underrated work we’re seeing in comics right now. The linework is so clean, crisp and sharp and with its varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail within the work is utterly astounding. We see backgrounds being utilsied extremely well, of course I’d like to see more of them but they do wonders to enhance and expand the moments. They also work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a superb understanding of how colour works and how to maximise their effects.

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This is what I love about comics. This is a small indie published series and it showcases some absolutely amazing talent and a story that we don’t see by others in the industry. It really manages to grab the readers’ attention, imagination and creativity while engaging them in ways that seem to increase with each new issue. With such stellar writing and strong, interesting characterization alongside these brilliant interiors bringing the whole thing to life this never disappoints.