Frank At Home On The Farm #1

Scout Comics

By Steven LeitmanPublished 3 years ago • 3 min read

Scout Comics 2020

Written by Jordan Thomas

Illustrated by Clark Bint

Lettered by LetterSquids

Frank returns from the trenches of World War I expecting to be greeted by his loving family on their farm. What he finds instead is a dark mystery, his family missing, and only the animals there waiting for him. This sets in motion a terrifying and horrific turn of events as Frank begins his desperate search for his missing kin in a tale that is equal parts The Shining and Twin Peaks.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this and yet I know Scout and they take chances on creators who have a unique outside the box voice. I have to say I was riveted to the page from the first panel and I was hugely impressed with how this book is being done. The talent that I see here is extraordinary and everyone involved with this just puts forth some beautiful work. This is the reason I traverse Artist Alley and small press area’s at conventions, which I miss like no tomorrow, because this is pure joy to behold. This is so damn good and you’d never know about it except through word of mouth because this needs to be in your possession.

I love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is exceptionally well rendered. I mean what we see isn’t anything like I was anticipating and it is so much more and the fact that this could literally be anywhere in the world is fascinating to me. The character development we see ties into the story & plot development and it is so essential to understanding the journey that Frank is taking. I am blown away by how we see him here and how he reacts to “normal” life with a touch of PTSD thrown in. Everything is conveyed to the reader and it feels so effortless and that’s talent people. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing this world it lulls you into Frank's life.

The interiors here are fabulous! The linework we see is smooth and strong and the way we see the varying weights being utilised alongside the various techniques work to create some truly outstanding detail work. There are little moments that we take for granted that convey so much through what we see. The way backgrounds are being utilised is wonderful to see and how they bring depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is incredible. 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 colour work here is so divine. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work looks inspired to me. Plus we see different techniques utilised to lay the colour down and that is so marvellous to see.

This is amazing it is so smartly written and how we see the way it’s structured and how the focus is never lost even through the layering in the story. The way everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow is beautifully done. I want more and I want it now because this is without a doubt one of those books that will resonate with you in one way or another (i’m gonna getcha one way or another, I‘m gonna find ya) and that each person will have their own unique experience. I cannot accurately put into words just how damn good this book is so take that for what you will but I challenge each and everyone of you to read this and tell me I was wrong, honestly.