Nine Stones #3

Nine Stones #3

Behemoth Entertainment 2021

By Samuel Spano

Allie keeps experiencing dreams that haunt him, and it's getting harder to decipher them from reality. Chris introduces Allie to their new dealer, and it doesn't go as expected.

One of the big things about this book that has taken me by surprise and excites me is how engaged it gets me. I mean sure we see the two get pleasure off of pain, and who am I to judge that?, but it’s really this dark energy that Allie manages to manifest and uses to focus his anger and pain in ways that he can’t seem to do without it that really intrigues me. Is this an outside influence that has attached itself to him or is this just his coping mechanism for having a father the way he does and he doesn’t feel strong enough to be himself and assert himself in ways that makes him happy? There is something about this that is relatable to and we can empathise with regarding Allie. Then there is Chris and his whacked situation where he’s in love with his boss's son who he sees wanting him and coming out of that shell and what he sees in him, that kindred spirit, excites him in ways that no one else ever has. So yeah the engagement factor for this is off the charts.

I am completely and utterly enamoured with 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 and how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter and this keeps us fascinated by their ever changing/evolving personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the more I want to know, I want to know the deepest and darkest the two have to offer.

I really like how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. How we see the layers open up these new avenues to be explored while exploring those they’ve already opened is extremely well done and the depth,dimension and complexity they add to the story is immeasurable. 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 have this whole idea of Americanised Manga to me, so that blend of manga and traditional comic book style that creates a much lighter than expected tone. I like it, mind you it really shows a contrast between the words and actions and it draws the reader into those darker moments more fully. How we see the composition of the panels being utilised to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is beautifully handled. 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 shows a fantastic eye for how colour works.

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These two young men couldn't be more different and so much alike if they tried. Completely different families and upbringing versus that inability to feel comfortable to talk about how they feel and what makes them different so it’s suppressed or repressed until the two do something to set off this hurricane of passion and desire. That neither is healthy and both need the other is part of the endearing charm that I see within these pages. The strength of the storytelling with this magnificent writing, complex and intense characterisation and these fabulously contrasting interiors really makes this come alive in ways that will charm you.