Verge #1

Verge #1

Red5 Comics 2021

Written by Bryce McLellan

Illustrated by Silvio dB

Coloured by Louie Joyce

Lettered by Sean Rhinehart

In the future refugees from past disasters have found new life, rescued from the past via time travel, creating a new wave of immigrants into New York City. Vikings and cavemen and samurai and more have been crushed together into one section of the city and left to their own devices. That section is called ... The Verge, and it is unlike any place on Earth.

Wow, just wow. I love Red5 Comics because not only are their stories unique and different but the quality of storytelling is utterly amazing to see. I mean the concept is here and it’s presented but it’s not explored yet, given an explanation etcetera and this manages to generate a lot of interest and intrigue as we’re taken through the pages. The aftermath of this event, the Verge, is what we see and how this affects the streets of New York City and two of the cops that are tasked with keeping the peace within it. This blew me away because I hadn’t really known what to expect and what we get to see is something that takes a lot of thought and preparation before it can even be executed and this kind of planning is what I think is the most impressive part of all.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter brings their personalities to life. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the characters, the story and this world they live in hits you like cold water in the face first thing in the morning.

I am enjoying how we see this being structured and how the layers within the layers begin to emerge and grow. These layers that we see open up different avenues and whether they will be explored or not they all add this great depth, dimension 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 immaculately achieved.

I am completely and utterly gobsmacked by the level & quality of the work on the interiors here. Our cops have a very distinct look and each group of folks seems to have their own distinct looks about them and I think that doing this to denote who and where they come from is beyond what I could’ve hoped for. The linework is fantastic and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised is phenomenal. The way we see backgrounds being 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 of the story is marvellously rendered. 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 a superb eye for how colour works.

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This is a knock down, drag out, top of the line introduction to a series that we’ve seen around these parts. Red5 is not kidding around here folks this is some damn fine storytelling and you’ll want to see the cliffhanger ending for yourself, I’ve already got an idea on who it is but we’ll see. I love the way we see this exceptional writing and intense characterisation alongside these really strong and unique interiors. The way this manages to create an experience is something you need to well experience for yourself.