Project: Patron #4

Project: Patron #4

Aftershock Comics 2021

Written by Steve Orlando

Illustrated by Patrick Piazzalunga

Coloured by Carlos Lopez

Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

The team will have to do what the real Patron couldn't: Live through a fight with extinction-bringer Woe. Unstoppable force. Immovable object. Round two!

I’ve been enjoying this book a lot more with each new issue that comes out. Of course it was only a matter of time before Woe would return and of course Mammon played some sort of role in this, what that role is well the 8-Ball says it Remains Unclear but there’s no doubt he somehow managed to orchestrate all this in the hopes that naturally comes out on top, even though I get the distinct impression he’s anything but the top. The real question is what is the team going to do, how are they going to react and just what is at stake here? All those questions and more will only be partly answered here but don’t fret true believers because I have no doubt that the team will find a way to come out as the winner in all this, they simply have to because letting Mammon win is not an option!

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 they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continues to portray them as people we can relate to or at least empathise with. The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re caught up in this gripping adventure.

I am pretty impressed with the way that we see this being structured as well as the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen as well as newly emerge. The layers content this amazing characterisation, the plot twists and revelations and so much more. Whether or not they work with the main arc or simply swirl around it they add so much depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceedingly well.

The interiors here are really rather nice to see. The linework is great and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail work is exceptionally well rendered. I really would like to see backgrounds being utilised throughout the book as they tend to enhance and expand the moments. As it stands the way we see the composition within the panels do bring us great depth perception, a 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 show a very talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is brilliantly rendered. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a great understanding of how colour works and how to maximise its affects.

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So now that we’ve seen how the protocols for the Project work and what each person brings to Patron it is high time that the death of Kone, which already broke the rules, the rules get thrown out the window. Also while they’ve all been dancing around Conrad’s death and what that means to each of them this is just the catalyst that was needed for them to face and deal with the grief that they all feel. With some stellar writing and characterisation along with some dynamic interiors Project: Patron will rise to the face their current challenge and do their fallen friend proud.