Being new to the whole Bubblegun gang I was a little apprehensive reading this book. It has that feeling of walking into a movie that is halfway through. This may have been a concern for writer Mark Roslan as he peppers the dialogue with “catch up” exposition in a style that walks that fine line of helping new readers without alienating the existing fan base. The rest of the dialogue is great, with Roslan eschewing the need to use a lot of future speak or techno-babble. This makes the book, and by definition the characters seem more grounded. It also helps keep the reader’s interest without having to decipher cool sound language that can mean something pretty plain.
The art is supplied Angel Tovar, who presents use with a nice flow of panels, in which there are nice pencils, over which Tovar also provides the inks.  As regular readers of my reviews will know, I am a big fan of artists who can ink their work as I feel it gives a truer reflection of what the artist was trying to achieve. Impressively, Tovar put as much into the backgrounds as the foreground and the characters.  In addition to clear faces, with a touch of Manga at times, Tovar propels the gang into action, with a level of grace that it belies its “indie” comic standing. Also refreshing is the way that despite wearing skin-tight tech suits, the characters are not sexualised, making this a book suitable for most age range. The one thing I would say that Tovar needs to work on is perspective in the quiet scenes. I imagine its fun drawing the battles and the fights, whilst drawing a round table conversation seem less enticing. But at times, it’s these part of the story that conveys plot devices and as such should be afforded the same respect as the more eye-catching action art. In some panels, it’s as if a different artist has taken over. Colors are provided by Peter Steigerwald for the most part with a helping hand from Federico Blee on pages 10-13. Both do a great job, giving the book an eye-popping scheme that is both vibrant and dark.
This book has it all; kick ass characters, doomed romance; a possible turncoat; a secret weapon and of course an over top big bad in the shape of Mr Penny. What’s not to like in this tech-punk laden world where even the thieves can be the good guys?
Writing -Â 3 Stars
Art -3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
BUBBLEGUN #1 (vol 2)
Mark Roslan ”“ Story / Angel Tover ”“ Art / Peter Steigerwald, Federico Blee – Colors
Author Profile
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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
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