Stake #5

Stake #5

Scout Comics 2021

Written by David A. Byrne

Illustrated by Francesca Fantini

Lettered by Joel Rodriguez of BofR Productions

Angel's big night out with Barnard has left a permanent reminder. A witness in the Anti-Vamper murder case leads her and Jessamy down a path to solving the case, but all is not as it seems. Just as one case wraps up, Angel finds a big break in her quest to track down Ashwyn and his cronies.

Maybe it’s just me but it seems that Angel is getting more and more reckless as the issues come out. I get feeling frustrated and that being a teenage girl can be a difficult and trying time, not to mention that she thinks she’s a whole lot better at this than she actually is but she’s not slowing down at all. She keeps going full steam ahead and ignoring all the things that need to be done properly if she’s going to do what she’s set her mind to. Including but not limited to how she feels about Sarah are the motivating factors that also happen to be what distracts her from being the best she can be. That she lets her emotions control her and that she’s found what drinking is like I just want to see her sliding downhill even further.

I really like the ay 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 being 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 do wonders in portraying them as people we can relate to or empathise with. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story it instills within the reader the desire to see and know even more.

I appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen. It is within these layers where we find the characterisation, plot twists and all the good bits and whether they work with the main arc or dance around it they add depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is greatly achieved.

The interiors here are bloody gorgeous. The linework we see is sensational and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail work is phenomenal. I’m incredibly impressed with moments that show movement of through windows as we get this great kind of blurred effect that is damn near brilliant. The way that backgrounds are being utilised throughout to enhance the moments as well as 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 utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The pops of colour are exceptionally well rendered. They are sparsely utilised and I think that’s the key to keeping them so effective.

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It is easy to find yourself becoming more and more invested and engaged in the story. The opening of my review and how I describe my feelings towards Angel and her behaviour should aptly demonstrate how they’ve managed to get me this involved and invested in the story. I’m hoping that my enthusiasm for this is infectious so that you’ll check it out to see why I speak so highly of it. This really has some fantastic writing and characterisation wrapped up in these dynamic and gorgeous interiors that welcome you into this world with open fangs and stakes.