Review: The Codex Volume 1

I love a great Kickstarter and over on Outside the Panels podcast I get to speak with some of the most creative and enthusiastic writers and artists in the world. Take for example this beauty of a book, The Codex Volume 1, where sci-fi, post-apocalyptic futures, magic, cowboys and cute robo-animals all clash and crash together; the result is staggering, in a very good way!

The Codex follows John Tansky, Anna, Konrad an Ace who are a man, mutant, druid and cyborg dog respectively. The group look to survive a desolate world, which may be of their own making. following the destruction of the ancient demon DARMOK!

Writer /creator Cory Crater looks to a variety of influences to deliver a story that is far greater than the sum of its parts! In doing so, Crater offers a glimpse of what could of been, prior to delivering the what is now. Its an interesting trick to subvert the expectations of the reader. Crater then follows that up with a cast of characters that sparkle through their interactions. Crater also buys into their respective archetypes on show; the cowboy is a seat-of-the-pants type of guy and Ace could be seen as a “Rocket Racoon” albeit without the opposable thumbs. But hey, when has something so simple ever stopped mans’ best friend?

Pablo De Bonis absolutely kills it with the art! From the open pages to the mirror of past and present which just hints at the style and professional style that is delivered. Strong lines mesh well with a cinematic eye, with a variety of camera angles used to creating eye-popping action scenes. De Bonis’ is consistent across environs in both the traditional and storytelling sense. The colors from Damián Penalba, starting out bright and fresh, begins to bring the inherent darkness of the devastated world, with that devastation, at times, taking a personal turn. The letters are tag team affair with Cory Crater supplying the lettering for the word balloons and Adrian Dela Cerna on SFX. The pair work well together, adding different textures to the whole story.

I absolutely love this project; speaking with Cory Crater on Outside the Panels, (click here) you cannot fail to be impressed by the level of commitment to the quality of the book. The Kickstarter may be over, successfully so by the way, but you can head over to https://www.hayburnerstudios.com for further details on how to get your hands on possibly one of the best books you will see this year !

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

Overall – 5 Stars

Written by; Cory Crater
Art by; Pablo De Bonis
Colors by; Damián Penalba
Letters by; Cory Crater & Adrian Dela Cerna

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