The Courier in Liberty and Death #1

The Courier in Liberty and Death #1

Zenescope Entertainment 2021

Written by Ralph Tedesco

Illustrated by Oliver Borges

Coloured by Fran Bamboa, J.C. Ruiz & Maxflan Araujo

Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual

The long-awaited sequel to 2017s hit comic book series is here!

When Eve returns to Liberty - the stronghold where she was raised - she reconnects with her brother who works for a ruthless gang leader named Gillings. And when old debts are asked to be paid in the form of murder, Eve must find a way to save not only her brother, but her soul.

Oh my goodness we should never wait this long again lol. One of the best things about this franchise is that while it’s set in a post apocalyptic setting and they have these primals which appear to be humans who have become zombie like creatures that are evolving. It takes on a much different look, tone and feel than what we’re used to seeing and that is one of the major factors that sets this apart from the crowd. Also while I criticise Joe for his writing, he really does need to stop, Ralph is improving with every outing. He has the hang of bringing the reader into the story, generating interest and engaging the reader so that they want to keep coming back. If you need a great example of this then look no further than the opening to this book, it brings us in and makes us think and then it draws into the main body of the story beautifully.

I am thoroughly 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 extremely well. With how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge it continues to build up suspense and intrigue with each turn of the page. The character development is amazing to see. With the dialogue the way that the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter continue to flesh them out in ways we can relate to. The pacing is spot on and as it takes us through the pages revealing this arc’s story and the twists & turns that will keep your adrenaline pumping it goes above and beyond expectations. With how we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is beautifully done.

This has a classic comic book style to the interiors and it works so incredibly well. The linework that we see with its varying weights and even techniques being utilised to create the detail work we see is sensational. I am a huge fan of the way we see the faces and facial expressions here and how much emotion and feelings they convey. I love the fact that backgrounds are so important to this story and how well they are utilised throughout the book. The way they work within the composition of the panels to not only bring us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story but they add this extra layer of impact when it’s needed or just when a little more zing when you least expect it. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong, talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is great to see! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and colour work is superb.

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I am super impressed with the quality and level of storytelling in this issue. To see the growth in writing from Ralph is one wonderful and this creative team makes this feel like a viable and interesting world is stellar. This is a richly filled world with interesting characters and a dynamic that says if you aren’t a hunter then you are prey, whether it’s in the society you live or on the highways and byways you’d best sleep with one eye open.