Review: Sunstone Mercy Vol #8 OGN

Another week and another dive into everything that is fetish and kinky from the mind of Stjepan Sejic and his extended Sunstone cast as we get to see the trials and tribulations of Alan and Anne. Of course this means we get a lot of Ally time also.

Alan and Anne are telling their story to Lisa. For long term fans we got to see snippets of the Alan and Ally relationship, break-up and reconciliation (sorry, the series is already seven books deep, you could have caught up at any time). Thrown into the mix is Anne aka Marianne’s story of previous loves lost. It is true, we do carry the burdens of all of our past days.

Creator, writer / artist Stjepan Sejic has firmly established Ally and Lisa as the couple in the Sunstone drama. From a writing point of view their story has been told; taking a step backwards is always risky especially as we know some of the history already. I take it you have seen the Star Wars prequels? By moving the focus from Ally and Lisa and moving to Alan and Anne gives Sejic an opportunity to look at different relationships. By incorporating Ally, there are touch points we recognise that ensconces us in their world. There are a couple of slight problems with this mode of storytelling; I don’t really like Anne! Therefore, there are periods of the book were I feel that I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, to just get on with it. The dialogue is as fantastic as ever, Ally remains my favourite character for all her her issues. The other problem, which Sejic himself mentions in his notes at the back of the book; for all the kink elements on show, there is only one perspective on show. BDSM doesn’t always have to have its release in sex. Sub and dom(me) play doesn’t always mean that sex is required. With the notes that Sejic is looking to build on the Crimson Club, I am hoping that these other, sometimes vital, aspects of the scene / lifestyle are featured.

The art is, as always, gorgeous. Last week Sejic brought fairies and demons into the real world. Here he brings the real world in to the fetish elements as we see Ally and Alan turn the mundane into the marvellous! Also, Anne’s journey, whilst no less fraught of passion, has its anchors within the real world of recognisable apartments and environs, all well observed. Sejic takes a less is more approach to the fetish wear for the most part, this is after all a tale of how characters got to where we met. Indeed, it can be hard to dom on the cheap, the “B” in BDSM doesn’t stand for “budget” after all. The expressions on the faces of the characters really sell their emotions, the rescuing of Ally is truly heartbreaking as is the realisation that Ally and Alan need to move on in order to grow. It is this aspect of storytelling, both in the words written and the jaw-dropping art that deliver the killer punches and shocks, moving the book away from its kink affectations and sub-culture and into a story about real people, with real feelings. Sejic’s colors are magnificent! It should go without saying; the consistency and depth are truly staggering.

The next book sees the biggest challenge for both Alan and Ally, affecting them, changing them forever, the ramifications of which fans will know. For others new to the book, it’s going to get rough before it gets better. Yet, as Sejic has demonstrated time after time, the dawn is always brighter when the blindfold is removed.

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

Overall
5 Stars

Created, written, art and colors by; Stjepan Sejic
Published by; Image Comics

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