Empty Zone Vol #1 (Conversations with the Dead)
Writer by Jason Shawn Alexander
Art by Jason Shawn Alexander
Image Comics
I knew nothing of Empty Zone until it showed up among a batch of possible review comics.
So I popped open the pdf and scrolled through.
When I am unaware of a title the art has got to draw me in, or it can very easily end up in the ‘not likely to read’ folder, a place comics generally go to be forgotten.
But fear not.
In this case Jason Shawn Alexander’s art is just simply ‘Wow!’
The book focuses on Corinne White, a gal of considerable skill as an ex-soldier turned black market spy, and data courier.
But what makes White truly memorable as a character is that she is deeply flawed too, a drug taking, hard drinking, manic-depressive with a dark secret that haunts her always.
I can’t say White is a likeable character, but she is highly readable, and forever memorable.
Now stir in the fact Alexander has set the story in a dark, quite sad future world of cyber-tech, animal enhanced humans, and dirty corporate / military ops, and you have a story which drips atmosphere.
This is a book that just has it from both sides, gritty story and art to match, and the result is a book earning my highest recommendation.
John Flood #1
Written by Justin Jordan
Art by Jorge Coelho
BOOM! Studios
Comic books are at their best when they take chances. The times they let a writer and artist team to tell story with quirky, strange, or even outrageous storylines are the times gems are often created.
Flood #1 is one of those gems.
Writer Justin Jordan has a quirky character here for sure. John Flood has been experimented on, experiments which have taken away his need to sleep.
That has meant hundreds of hours to read, learn things, gain knowledge.
Those are good things if you are an investigator.
But no sleep means at times reality and dreams get mixed up, so Flood is this fun character who goes from trying to find a mass serial killer, to helping a woman find her cat, to seeing cartoon birds flying around. At times Flood is like a rather happy squirrel running from one thing to the next. It makes for a fun read.
Jorge Coehlo’s art seems a perfect match for the quirkiness.
However, there is a serious undercurrent. The murderer Flood is trying to ferret out has gone under the radar, but is a soulless killer without a pattern others have seen. Flood’s unique look at how things connect in the world.
The great art, strange premise, and quirky lead character are just the ticket for a great read.
