Have you ever wondered what the Chaos Theory in full effect would look like? If so, by all means take a look at this third issue of Jackpot from AfterShock Comics.
Oh what a tangled web we weave. Dominque and her gang, looking to escape from a plan that, yet again, went awry, end up in an another dimension, which Dominque seems to have a tenuous level of control. Thanks to the bendiness of this other realm, we get to see how the rest of the gang interact, whilst the big bad lurks in dark panels, looking to capture Dominque for their own nefarious plans.
Creator and writer Ray Fawkes may have a long-term plan in place for this gang, but I can’t help but feel that I have been sold a $3 bill. What I thought of as an Ocean’s 11 type of book, ends up giving me an alternative realm visited by people who have the ability to access/control it, which for me, doesn’t gel well. It’s as much my own fault as anyone’s; I had this expectation, I judged this book by it cover. Story wise, it is practically chaos from the first page. Fawkes does manage to add some clever dialogue, especially between pseudo Dominque and pseudo Tam.
The art by Marco Failla remains as frenetic as seen in previous issues. With the majority of the book being set outside of the “real” world, Failla is allowed to reduce some of the more angular styles that has been a bit of a trademark for the framework of his characters. Instead, the trippy stairs and green energy shows that Failla isn’t afraid to eschew the constraints of panelled structure. When we do see the figure-work, there is an obvious influence in play, its of the quality that we have come to expect. Colors are by Stefani Rennee who applies a four-color vibrancy to the whole affair.
AfterShock have been around for a little while now. The high quality of their books is without question. However, I am not sure if somewhere along the way, the books have become a little lost. It may be that the initial books had such a big shock value, that now after a few months, we have become accustomed to it. As such, creators are trying too hard to push the envelope, to create more way out stories, which retains a wow factor, may in fact just result in cluttered storytelling. This book, with Fawkes channelling The Matrix, along with a free-flowing art style could actually do with a level of structure, that in this issue at least, seems to be missing.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
(W)Â Ray Fawkes
(A)Â Marco Failla
(CA)Â Brian Stelfreeze
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
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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