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Clear #01

ComiXology Originals

By Steven LeitmanPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Clear #01

ComiXology Originals 2021

Written by Scott Snyder

Illustrated by Francis Manapul

Lettered by Andworld Design

A sci-fi mystery thrill-ride into a strange dystopian future, where a neurological internet connection is transforming reality.

Oh I like this one too. There’s something about a good old fashioned science fiction story that I will always appreciate. Add into this the fact that it has these Noir detective elements to it that make it feel even more complete and forget about it. I'm just thrilled to be here. Of course the opening is something that really grabs the readers’ attention and it isn’t until later in the issue that we understand why or its significance really but boy howdy when we do… I have to admit I was hooked from the kids' joke and how this narration and the visuals played against one another made me wonder and think and it was engaging, thrilling and well kind of funny really. All things that contradict one another throughout the opening. It is flawlessly rendered as it builds interest like a crescendo which then deposits the reader into the bulk of the story.

I am very much 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 is exceptionally well rendered. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a fantastic job of establishing their personalities and bringing them to the forefront. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the story, the characters and this world that they inhabit the more we want to see, learn and know.

I greatly appreciate how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I also really like how these layers are being explored and how they open up these avenues to be explored. Now what this does so well is add this depth, dimension and complexity to the story and we see this through how we see various veil’s and Dune’s dislike of using them. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is immaculately achieved.

I’m a huge fan of Francis’ work and the way we see this is truly utterly spectacular. The linework is phenomenal and how we see varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail within the work throughout is breathtaking. The fact that we see backgrounds as much as we do is being utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they 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. I am in love with the colour work here. The choices we see and how the various hues and tones within them work together to create the shading, highlights and shadow work are brilliantly entered.

That the words and the visuals work so exceptionally well together, in sync with each other, is so vitally important to taking a great book and making it an epic book. That this creative team works so well together to bring this to life makes me excited to see what’s going to be coming from them next here. The writing is extraordinary and this includes the characterization and these mind blowing interiors engages and invests the reader in this book.

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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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