He Who Fights With Monsters #3

He Who Fights With Monsters #3

Ablaze Publishing 2021

Written by Francesco Artibani

Illustrated by Werther Dell'Edera

Coloured by Giovanna Niro

Lettered by ALWS Troy Peteri

Radek is shaken to his core when he discovers that the golem he has heard so much about is not just a myth. But he is quickly brought back to his senses when the creature is found by the Nazis. Will this mythical construction brought to life be the saviour of the city or will it cause their enemies to clamp down even harder?

There are so many things about this to like. I like the reaction that not only Radek has to what they’ve done but those that are living in the sewers reaction to what they’ve done as well. Then there’s the professor's reaction and his knowledge which apparently is sorely lacking in accuracy. There is also the fact that this is done in a world like ours, not one where the mystical or heroic, see men and women in costumes, where stuff like this is lore or legend and not to be taken seriously. The whole way that this is presented and accepted by the characters is so perfectly done.

I’m loving 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 is extraordinary as 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 as it continues to establish and flesh out personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the more we are transported to another time and place.

I am mightily impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I’m also liking how we see the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored. Yossel is a great character find and he blows the professor’s theories about what he is and how he behaves out the window. His Rabbi, Rabbi Loew, created him but we don’t know when or for what purpose, at least not yet. The depth, dimension and complexity that these layers add is immeasurable. The way we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are immaculately handled.

The interiors here are absolutely brilliantly rendered. The mood, tone and feel of any given moment shines through like a beacon. The linework is clean, crisp and sharp and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work is sensationally well rendered. How we see backgrounds being utilised throughout really enhance and expand the moments nicely as well as 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 shows a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows such a stellar understanding of how colour works.

​

This is such a heavy and heady subject to broach in comics and yet with the addition of Yossel we see a different approach added in the whole awe, wonder and dark humour he brings. Well he does bring it but so do the reactions of those who encounter him and that’s the best bits right there. With such spectacularly strong writing and equally incredible characterisation all with these moody and expressive interiors make this so much more than the surface leads you believe.