Download #1

Download #1

Red5 Comics 2021

Written by Scott Chitwood

Illustrated by Danny Luckert

Coloured by PH Gomes

Lettered by Troy Peteri & Dave Lanphear

When Eric is hit by a mysterious blast of light from space, he suddenly finds his mind filled with designs for strange devices. But when he blindly begins building them, he won't discover what they do until he and his friends turn them on. But do they dare? In the spirit of The Goonies and Explorers, the adventure begins here!

I love what I do and that I read an insane amount of small press publishers because it gives me the opportunity to read books like this one! Alright it seems harmless enough right a trio of kids writing their own comic book when something extraordinary happens. What that is, you will have to read the book to see and understand but suffice it to say that it is as exciting and fresh as it comes right now. I honestly thought that the opening was interesting and a part of the kids comic book and right away I thought these kids have it going on because whatever they’ve started is something I would totally read. So when the blurb says in the spirit of The Goonies and Explorers they are not kidding and if the rest of this is as strong as this debut issue I could easily see this being made into a film that would thrill audiences of all ages.

I am completely enamoured by 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 dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a magnificent job in establishing their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing the characters, the story and the world they live in we are left in complete awe and wanting more.

I am loving the way that we see this being structured as well as how we see the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I am also liking the way that we see these layers open up new avenues to be explored. Regardless if they are explored or not they all add this 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 are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are bloody phenomenal! The linework is stupendous and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail within the work we see throughout is truly extraordinary. How we see backgrounds being utilised not only enhance and expand the moments but 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 masters eye for storytelling. The colour work we see is bloody brilliant. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a bloody brilliant eye for how colour works and how to maximise their effects. The cave paintings without linework are beautifully rendered. How we see the white light of the lighting effects and how this changes the light source is greatly understood.

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I have been a stalwart fan of Red5 Comics for some time now and I know you’ve seen their reviews but if you haven’t branched out to include them in your reading then this is the place to start. With such strong and intelligent writing and sensational characterisation wrapped up in these bloody mindbogglingly brilliant interiors will make you an instant fan.