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Belle: Kill Zone

Zenescope Entertainment

By Steven LeitmanPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Belle: Kill Zone

Zenescope Entertainment 2021

Written by Dave Franchini

Illustrated by Alvaro Feliu, Luca Colandrea, Eman Casallos

& Igor Vitorino

Inked by Thiago Gomes

Coloured by Juan Manuel Rodriguez

Lettered by Taylor Esposito

Ares is the god of war, a leader of armies and the bringer of death wherever he goes. Anabelle “Belle” DiMarco is a human, a hunter of beasts and a defender of those who cannot defend themselves. War is coming and you won’t want to miss this blood-soaked issue where the battle is brought to Belle’s doorstep. Will she be able to defend all she holds dear or will she fall like the countless others?

Alright I’m going to start with a mini rant first to get it off my chest, 32 pages is nothing to brag about and it certainly doesn’t warrant this price point, 48 pages sure I can see and totally respect that page count for this price point but honestly I feel like i’m getting a bit ripped off otherwise. Now the good news is that the story is fantastic and it helps to usher back into prominence a much beloved and missed character in Ares. But is this the Ares we knew or something else entirely? This is Belle’s first encounter with the God of War and it certainly lives up to the hype because it really is a strong and entertaining issue.

I am enjoying 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 are presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does wonders in fleshing out the personalities we see. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story the more intrigued we become.

I have to say that I am liking how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I am also liking the way that these layers open up new avenues to be explored, such as Ares himself or those warriors from Oz. This not only engages the reader nicely but it also adds some great 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 handled.

Now I wish we’d see the artwork that opens the book all the way throughout the book. At the very least something that had a similar style to it. The work in the opening is dynamic, interesting and full of beautiful linework and that pinup page of The Cyclops, and his hammer oh yeah that is bloody amazing. I do wish we’d see backgrounds utilised a lot more; they are great for expanding and enhancing the moments. How we see the composition within the panels brings 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 some very good solid eyes for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a sensational eye for how colour works. Also massive shout out to Thiago for his inking here and making the linework standout as much as it does.

I’m a huge Belle fan and we really need to see some genuine limited series featuring her so that we can delve into what’s going on in her life and the possible betrayal of her Mel, if that’s still a thing, not to mention a chance to proactive instead of reactive like she’s been now that she knows there’s a bigger picture she needs to look at. Some really strong, solid writing and great characterisation wrapped in these interiors really makes me want to see oh so much more.

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About the Creator

Steven Leitman

Just me talking about the comics I enjoy reading, ones that you might not know exist and spotlighting the indie creators that excite me.

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