Forgotten Hymns #1

Forgotten Hymns #1

PMB Comics 2020

Created & Written by Andrew Guilde

Illustrated by Isaac Perez

Lettered by DC Hopkins

Like most self-entitled corporate billionaires, the idea of owning up for wrong doings, especially crimes committed by their company, and dealing with the consequences, is utterly unthinkable. Thus, when a scandal involving the company’s founder, who happens to be her father, threatens to rock the corporation to its core, Lillian decides to do what most powerful people do when they’re threatened: she’s going to cover it up.

This was funded as a kickstarter campaign so keep an eye out for the second issues campaign. Trust me it is going to be well worth it if this first issue is anything to go by. The opening is interesting because we really don’t know what’s going on however, we do see enough that it makes us want to know more. The intrigue factor here is extremely high and given what we know ahead of time it’s something I want to see so badly. When we hit the main story things don’t really get any clearer but again that’s okay by me because it seems that these women and their tattoos are one thing and what we learn this issue while somehow being tied into that will come out in the wash.

I like 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 constantly moves forward extremely well. I like how we see the events occur because they build the intrigue factor and add tension to the story. The character development that we see is pretty solid stuff. How we see the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter alongside the dialogue, whether its aloud on their own or to someone else, really has some great moments of seriousness and levity to make them feel more real. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story and introducing us to the characters it creates a definite sense of doom is approaching.

I am enjoying how this is structured and how we see various layers within the story emerge and grow already. There are like five separate things happening here and they all tie together one way or another and right now you can sense it but half the fun will be in finding out. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is extremely nice to see.

The interiors here are spectacular! The Black & White medium is completely unforgiving and will show every single flaw and that I couldn’t notice any is a testament to just how darn good the interiors truly are. With the tattoos providing the only pops of colour making them stand out the way they do and that it isn’t overused really speaks volumes. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to showcase this level and quality of the detail in the work is mindbogglingly stunning. Backgrounds are an integral part of the story and to see them with the same kind zeal is phenomenal. Because not only do they enhance the moments and set the stage but they also provide depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The creativity and imagination we see is phenomenally represented throughout and whether that’s mundane places or the tentacles from the cover it’s beautifully rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panel shows a masterful eye for storytelling.

Phillip Marlowe and Sam Spade eat your hearts out! This really did make me think I was watching Turner Classic Films which makes it so easy to get lost in the book and the story. Plus as that added bonus how much the reader is engaged in the story and its characters just makes me want more. Folks this is why I promote Kickstarter books, why I tell you all to peruse artist alley and the small press section of conventions because if you miss out on this then you’re missing out on some bloody brilliant storytelling.

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Right now you can go here https://mailchi.mp/178ee5d5232d/rjixlrh07i for all the information you need to read this and sign up for the list and be notified when issue two goes live on Kickstarter.