Serial #7

Serial #7

Abstract Studios 2021

By Terry Moore

Zoe plays a dangerous game of predator-prey with a clever psychopath terrorizing a seaside town. With the police in hot pursuit, Zoe lays a risky trap for the killer and prepares for what may be her final day on earth.

Zoe is just one messed up little girl. Not her current prey is any less messed up and yet this still makes for some incredibly interesting reading about how two wrongs don’t make a right. With the opening here we see how Miss Rose’s daughter keeps sending her blocks of items to show just what she’s doing and how her upbringing has irrevocably changed the course of her life. This is like one of those true crime podcasts that details how someone’s upbringing was so traumatic that in their adult life they’ve become something of a serial killer exactly revenge of those who do what was done to her. This makes things inherently fascinating and yet perversely frightening and yet the desire to look away is removed once you start reading. Terry is a modern master storyteller and there’s no denying his ability to weave a tale that is so dark and twisted that reminds us that everyday can be Halloween.

I love 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 does a magnificent job in bringing us their personalities. The pacing is excellent and how it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns along the way manages to draw us further and further into the story.

I greatly appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. That these layers open up new avenues to be explored is exciting to see. What these avenues do is add some wonderful depth, dimension and complexity to the story. I also like how we see the forethought going into how we see the actions unfold and how certain things are dealt with. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is immaculately achieved.

Oh my stars and garters are the interiors here so delightful to see. Yes I wish we’d see more backgrounds primarily in Miss Rose’s room and Carly’s office. Otherwise how we see them utilised throughout really do enhance and expand the moments perfectly. They also 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. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail we see within the work is astonishing. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. Black & white is the hardest medium to work in because it will potentially show any and all flaws but Terry’s so good at what he does that I couldn’t imagine seeing this any other way.

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Why more people don’t talk about this series is beyond me. This is so masterfully written and illustrated to such a degree that it should constantly be winning awards and accolades for just how well this is presented. The impact of the storytelling and how involved, invested and engaged that the reader becomes through reading this book is immeasurable. If you’ve not read this I urge you to get this series, so far it’s only seven issues so it's easy to catch up and you won’t be disappointed that I can promise. I wish I had interiors to run with this and show you what exactly you may be missing out on, regardless go to your local shop or online at your favourite store and get yoursef at the very least the first issue.