Review: Dark Spaces Wildfire #1 (of 5)

“911, whats your emergency?” is a refrain oft hard in my house. Just when I thought I’d seen the last of firefighters in danger, this little hot potato drops into my review pile. When it comes to clever indie books, Scott Snyder is something of a master.

Set within the historic Arroyo Fire, this mini-series follows a sprinkler of firefighters, whom are part of an inmate firefighter program. With nothing to live for o the inside, the various squad members each of history and some don’t have much of a future either. During the fire, one of the girls recognises that they are near a stash house and the kernel of a heist finally pops. Once minds are made up, plan are laid but in a fire, everything can change in a flash!

I have been harsh on Scott Snyder, one of the nicest guys in comics by the way, in the past. Mainly because I feel that as good as the setup is, I am not always convinced by the landing. This time around though, Snyder has re-organised his steps before moving into more familiar territory with building on relationships amongst the crew. Snyder ensures that every character gets their turn in the spotlight, helping the reader to connect to them, which is massively important when you consider that they are going to go through a hell of natures making. The book looks like it is going to be heavy reading, but in reality, the story is quite pacy in the right places.

The art is supplied by Hayden Sherman who you may seen on Above Snakes #1 last week. This time around Sherman’s art is less unorthodox and heavier than you might expect. It’s great to see an artist demonstrate their flexibility in such a short amount of time. The storytelling here is a lot more complex than the “wilder” flights of fancy in Above Snakes. Sherman puts in an intense amount of details in practically every panel. The colors from Ronda Pattison are fabulous; good thing that colors are digital nowadays otherwise Pattison good have used a years worth of red, orange and yellow in this issue alone. Previously, I mentioned the amount of verbiage in this book; AndWorld Design do an exemplary job with font, dialogue and letter box placement. It is a true work of art; pity there is no cover recognition for such a great job!

Away from the world of Gotham and the Justice League, Snyder has a reputation of delivering fantastic work. Without the pressures of working on a cross media icon, and being free to tell his story, I am sure that this book will be another blaze of glory for him.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Scott Snyder
Art by; Hayden Sherman
Colors by; Ronda Pattison
Letters by; AndWorld Design
Published by; IDW Publishing

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network