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Review: Middlewest #11

Nemesis

I can’t tell you exactly what made this title so appealing to me but it was.  I had no real idea what the story was before this but as I read the title it didn’t seem to matter.  The art style is not one that would usually endear itself to me but, here, it is perfect and I can’t imagine this book being drawn any other way.  In short, this title is a collection of disparate parts that work in beautiful harmony.

As I stated previously, I am not clear on what came before in this title written by Skottie Young (Deadpool, Bully Wars).  Generally, I hate that and will take the time to read previous issues as I hate finding myself in the middle of a story.  However, although I know that something bad happened in the life of a young boy named Abel, that he sought out help which did not materialize, and that he appears to have some sort of curse/powers that haunt him.  This book also appears to take place in a dystopian future that evokes images of Mad Max.  With that established, enter Abel and companion Fox, a talking fox.  It is apparent, as they journey for the first several pages of the book, that Abel has had some sort of falling out with Fox.  Eventually, the reach one of the cities in this dystopian future and there the two are separated before Abel is kidnapped in a plot hook right out of Pinocchio.  Eventually, Abel reveals his power but is unable to rescue himself or his fellow captives and Fox watches impotently as they are all taken away and the issue ends.  The plot doesn’t sound bad but it doesn’t scream excellence does it?  Yet, it works incredibly well and the accompanying dialogue perfectly compliments the artwork and plot pacing as the title ebbs and flows.  It is a very well written book and it is in harmony with the artwork.

That artwork, by Jorge Corona (Nightwing, Old Man Jack) has shades of Doonesbury mixed with a healthy heaping of Boondocks.  This is very apparent in the slightly off-putting proportions and stylized appearance of various figures.  The finished product is nowhere near as simplistic as a standard comic strip however.  That is to be expected as there is much more time for an artist on a comic book than there is for an artist on a daily strip and Corona uses this time wisely and well.  That said, the similarities are there and the increased detail and styling that time allows are apparent.  The effort and style is much appreciated and it is both beautiful and haunting to look at.  The color by Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Marvel Zombies, Ultimate Spider-Man) is similarly excellent.  The backgrounds and city are drab and as overbearing as the cities themselves.  Meanwhile, characters are vibrant and stand out from the backgrounds to great effect.  The colors are so seamlessly blended and beautifully rendered that they make the art come alive.

In short, this is a very good book and one I’d recommend.  The story is excellently pace and flows well with artwork that serves the story and is strong on its own.

Story – 4 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Color – 4.5 of 5 Stars

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Writing – Skottie Young
Art – Jorge Corona
Color – Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters – Nate Piekos

Author Profile

Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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