John Carpenter's Tales of Science Fiction: Hell #3

John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Hell #3

Storm King Comics 2021

Written by David J. Schow

Illustrated by Andres Esparza

Coloured by Sergio Martinez

Lettered by Janice Chiang

HELL #3 (of 8)

THE MISSION CLOCK IS TICKING for the Cal-Ex spike team, the scientist, the troubleshooter, the witch, the murderer, and KARTKAS, the emissary from the Underneath.

BUT FIRST they have to ride the "Bullet" - the capsule that will deliver them unto Hell.

And the trip may destroy them before they even set foot.

This just happens to be one of if not THE best on stands, that you aren’t reading and should definitely have in your pull. I am living for this book and the story that we’re getting here. With such a diverse cast of characters all he for their own reasons, some overlapping but soldiers are soldiers after all. This creates one heck of a group dynamic and as they prepare to enter the anus of the world through the world’s largest suppository we learn a bit more about what is going on here and why certain folks were needed on the mission. David writes this story within an inch of its life and it is so gripping, so captivating that it fires up the readers imagination and curiosity perfectly.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold and as well as how the reader learns information is impeccably rendered. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter. Kartkas in particular without understanding our language makes his moments really shine. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story you can almost forget its a story, almost.

I really like how we see this being structured and how we see the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and emerge depending on the avenues that open up and which ones are explored. What these layers do is provide us with excellent characterisation, introduce new characters and set the stage for what’s next. It also provides the story with extra depth and complexity. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.

The interiors are bloody mindbogglingly brilliant to see. The linework is exquisite and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create this level & quality of detail work ie extraordinary. That backgrounds are so integral to how we view the story and almost becoming a character in its own right is stupendous. Not only do they enhance the moments but how they work within the composition of the panels to show the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is utterly magnificent. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is equally as brilliant to see. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrates a master colourists eye for how maximise the affects colour is capable of having.

Usually when a cast is this large and they are going to literal hell we can assume that many will be cannon fodder during the expedition. It is sad but it is true as they are stepping into the unknown and with cryptic words being said twice (to and from Kartkas and the redhead whose name isn’t said once this issue) in a context neither is ready for it only heightens the suspense and anticipation. With layers upon layers and ulterior motives galore I doubt these folks are anywhere near ready for what it is they are about to find, but I know I sure am ready to see it!

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You are not going to find a more perfect union of words and visuals than you will within these pages.