Stake #4
Scout Comics 2021
Written by David A. Byrne
Illustrated by Francesca Fantini
Lettered by Joel Rodriguez
Angel gets some new tech, but even better - a break! There's a new lead in her quest to track down Ashwyn and his goon squad, but will it pan out? As another murder, that appears to be connected to the case they're already working, lands at Angel and Jessamy's feet, Barnard summons Angel to his night club for a much needed night out.
This is an amazing book. It doesn’t fit into any of the all too crowded genre and that it is this fresh, new and different and is being told exceptionally well. I do like that there are familiar elements taken from here and there and woven through this so they make perfect sense here shows David’s ability as a writer. I think this is a phenomenal story so far and the more that we see of it the more I want to see and this kind of addiction to the book is something that doesn’t come along in this way very often. Also that the reader manages to become engaged in this so that they think about what’s seen beyond the page is another aspect of this that I really appreciate.
I am loving 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 is exceptional as we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances that they encounter. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story and the twist & turns along the way keeps the reader glued to the page.
I am enjoying seeing how this is being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen while new ones emerge thanks to the new and existing avenues being explored. These layers contain the bits of characterisation or new revelations that work with and surrounding the main arc and add this rich depth 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 impeccably achieved.
The interiors here are bloody brilliant! The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level of detail is phenomenal. The first page, thankfully a delicious splash page, showcases everything about the interior artwork here from the detail in the characters, the clothing like the books and the wallpaper or art it just pops out at you and is utterly brilliant in how it’s finished. The way we see the composition within the panels bringing us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is magnificent to see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is just as brilliantly rendered. That it is utilised judiciously to emphasise moments and make them pop like fireworks is sensational to see.
The creativity and imagination throughout this book is ridiculously great. Then there’s the way we see this “crazy ass vampire drag queen” and his friends is utterly amazing to me. Welcome to Pride Month. Just the way this all plays out and how we see Angel juggling the different aspects of her life makes you feel for her. You like her and begin to understand more about her and what makes her tick and the softness she tries to hide when it does show up it makes her more endearing.
The writing here is exceptional and the characterisation has gone wild, in a good way, and with this level of work on the interiors bringing it to life moves this title into one of the best of best right now.
About the Creator
Steven Leitman
Just me talking about the comics I enjoy reading, ones that you might not know exist and spotlighting the indie creators that excite me.
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