Frontiersman #1

Frontiersman #1

Image Comics 2021

Written by Patrick Kindlon

Illustrated by Marco Ferrari

Lettered by Jim Campbell

Classic Green Arrow-style adventure blends with the thoughtfulness of Concrete in a superhero odyssey for mature but uncynical readers! Frontiersman is coaxed out of retirement by an environmentalist group, only to find that being a spokesperson makes him a target for old and new enemies alike! For the superhero reader looking for more.

I immediately fell in love with this story during the opening. I have no idea who he’s talking to but to see The Frontiersman having a chat with someone while doing his thing is one of the more brilliant conversations that I’ve heard. There are so many great little moments in the conversation that make you laugh out loud. It just captures your attention and makes you want to know more about what the heck is going on here. This is precisely what the opening is supposed to do, grab the reader straight away and capture their attention and imagination and instill that desire to see and know more. So kudos to Patrick, Marco and Jim for the work that they do here. it really impressed me if you cannot tell and it got me hook, line and sinker and I’m a fan and not going anywhere.

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 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 really manages to flesh out their personalities extremely well. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing this part of the story we are pulled into this exceptionally well.

How we see this being structured and how we see the layer within the story emerge and grow is magnificently achieved. I love that these layers open up avenues that explore the past and the present as they all add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. This brings us a great picture of The Frontiersman that is the base for what is to come. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably rendered.

The interiors here are fantastic! The linework we see with its varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work that we see is wonderfully done. This creates a very strong and unique look in work and it suits the story nicely. How we see backgrounds being utilised throughout enhances and expands the moments beautifully. They 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 creativity and imagination that we see throughout is beautifully rendered and helps bring this to life with such aplomb. 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 various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a stunning eye for how colour works.

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I really rather enjoyed the heck out of this book. I like how the guy that’s trying to convince him to be a figurehead for their movement and how we see the visuals of The Frontiersman and his past adventures demonstrating his points. It is so well conceived and executed. The writing is strong and socially relevant while the characterisation is complex and interesting and how the interiors bring this to life beautifully makes this such a great premiere issue.