I Walk With Monsters #5

I Walk With Monsters #5

Vault Comics 2020

Written by Paul Cornell

Illustrated by Sally Cantirino

Coloured by Dearbhla Kelly

Lettered by Andworld Design

When you get to the heart of darkness, what if you hesitate?

This is a such a powerful story and one that really kind of hits you in some very unexpected ways. This issue covers a lot of ground and how Paul manage to execute this with years passing was done in such an incredibly smart and intelligent way. There was one moment where he tells Jacey why he won’t go after him and it hits like a ton of bricks in its reality and brutal honesty. It is such a staple of the way that Paul tells a story to be honest and brutal in how he tells the story because that’s life and life imitates art and vice versa so why shouldn’t this be done this way. It makes something that could be a little more mundane into something extraordinary all because of the way the impact it has on the reader. This is why I love Paul’s writing because he’s not afraid to be a heavy hitter and it resonates with you long after its been read.

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 crafted with such exact precision that it becomes a joy to read. The character development that we see is phenomenal. How they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter as well as how they interact with each other shows us so much about them as people. The pacing that we see as it takes us through the pages and takes us through so much history between the pair and it just sings.

How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continues to grow, strengthen and even if its the same theme time after time it leaves its mark on the reader. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is incredibly well done. I love that this is such smart storytelling and how the book flows and all the information that is presented, and there is more than you think, creates such an interesting atmosphere to be a part of.

The interiors here are great. I like the style that we see and it’s as unexpected considering the theme of the story but at the same time it lends itself beautifully to the conceptual aspect. Seeing the proportions so out of sync in the opening is utterly marvellous and the impact it has is immeasurable. The way that we see the composition within the panels as they bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is fantastic to see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work is great to see. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrates a great eye for how to use colour.

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This has never been your average story and to see Jacey’s desire for vengeance or revenge as the case may be has been her inspiration and when finally confronted with the opportunity to will she or won’t she be able to go through with it? The depth of storytelling that we see here is phenomenal and that it’s got that factor where you will sit there and think about while watching a television program and it’s something you cannot escape.