In the Ether, criminals rule the roost. In the place of law and order are bounty hunters and trackers who take jobs that effectively cull the crime ridden underbelly. Lukas is one such hunter. In fact, Lukas is at the peak of his game. Now, tasked to take down Cain, a werewolf and mod boss, Lukas find himself with a sidekick to aid and abet him in his duties.
Longtime Zenescope writer Ralph Tedesco is responsible for this book, which had me hooked, at least to begin with. The setup was enjoyable; treating the dialogue as a brainless action flick helped and I will admit, I got caught up in the new world. Well done Mr Tedesco. Then comes the “twist”. Now I don’t particularly want to spoil this book for you, but man, that twist sucks! Remember back in English class, when your teacher had you write a story? There was always one kid who finished their tale with “and then I woke up”. Chances are it was Ralph Tedesco. That is how painful the end of this book is. There are also elements from a certain film, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway that come into play and The Matrix.
The art is provided by Oliver Borges who deserves a better script regardless of the usual Zenescope requirements. Borges does well with the crowd scenes early on and of course the action carries a lot of movement. As with any number of artists, it’s the quieter times that can cause inconsistencies. I would like to more work on faces and perhaps poses. Leonardo Paciarotti supplies the colors, which as this is a Zenescope book, look great. The letters by Carlos M. Mangual appear a tad blurry on the review copy, especially early on in the book, which kind of makes it hard to get into the dialogue. Again, as it’s Zenescope there are a couple of variants; I have no idea what cover C by Keith Garvey has to do with the story, regardless of how well the cover looks.
I was interested in this book right up until the third act, where the wheels fell off in way that both angered and befuddled me. Surely, a writer as hardworking as Ralph Tedesco, with nearly 200 credits for Zenescope to his name, can come up with something a little more palatable, a little more fresh? If evidence serves to prove thee point, then I guess the answer is no, he can’t.
Writing – 2 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 2.5 Stars
Written by;Â Ralph Tedesco
Art by; Oliver Borges
Colors by; Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters by; Carlos M. Mangual
Published by; Zenescope EntertainmentÂ
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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