Radio Apocalypse #1

Radio Apocalypse #1

Vault Comics 2021

Written by Ram V

Illustrated by Anand RK

Coloured by Anisha

Lettered by Aditya Bidikar

Long after the rock out of space struck the world and turned it all to dust, in Bakerstown stands the last Radio Station on the planet. Radio Apocalypse broadcasting into the unknown, a beacon in the dark for those who wander the lost places. Now change is coming to Bakerstown. Among the refugees flocking into an already precarious settlement, an orphan boy Rion, caught in an indiscretion, will twine his fate with the Radio Station. And in doing so, begin this mixtape of love and heartbreak and interminable hope. This soundtrack to the end of the world.

I like that we don’t have specifics here and instead are thrown right into the deep end of things. This is how the world is, that’s it no explanation no pontificating it just is and that’s that. It is a great way to generate that interest in what’s happening and make the reader want to see and know more. It also engages the reader so their mind tries to piece together all those little things that you aren’t sure how they add up but we see them so we know they are there. To engage the reader off page and off script this way really does get the reader invested in the book as well.

I’m digging 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 we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really does help to establish their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the story, the characters and the world they live in the more I want to see and know.

I’m impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow. I’m also liking how we see the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored. Granted the first issue is full of new avenues shooting off the main arc but they all do add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. The way we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are really rather interesting. The linework is strong, clean and crisp and with the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this kind of detail within the work it’s rather extraordinary to see. Plus the unique style that we see captures the readers’ attention beautifully. The way that backgrounds are utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they 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 is marvellous to see. 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 show an exemplary eye for how colour works.

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I have no idea what’s really going on other than the surviving folks are having a hard time of it and the settlement of Bakerstown is about to get a large influx of new citizens. This will create a new set of challenges on top of what we are introduced to already and as the story grows I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to really get to know what’s going on in this world they live in. This has some strong, interesting writing with some intriguing characterisation alongside these really dynamic and impressive interiors.