Writer Matthew Rosenberg, handles the timing and tension so wonderfully that throughout the whole reading experience you will be feeling each and every emotion the characters go through and you will without a doubt feel right behind bars along with them. Then you have the art, which is just as good, and the character designs are stellar! I especially like the animal-headed creatures, they are so freaky and yet so nicely designed that you can’t help but be intrigued by their look. Whilst the overall style is highly stylised it does the work wonderfully and fits really well for this story. Character faces are simple but unique enough so as to not confuse you, and even though the Keepers are all wearing zoo uniforms they all are equally as distinct from the main characters, both in facial features, body types, and in the way they talk.
There is a very interesting use of repetition in this comic that honestly is something I’ve never seen done before but works so well. They use the mundane existence and repetitive nature of being in jail to their advantage and by using the same panels with different narrations and word balloons they are able to show you the constant grind of trying to stay sane and healthy while you are robbed of your liberty. Speaking of narration and word balloons; the lettering is very good in this comic, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou did a great job turning the script into a piece of art. From narration boxes to word balloons it is all very well executed. There is also a part in which they use a more pen-like styled font to indicate a character writing on their journal and use being able to see what they write and it honestly works really well. There was only one instance of a single letter blending into another one and confusing the word a tiny bit but a quick second glance fixed that up easily.
I particularly liked the little detail of having the word scratched out and then the next narration box has the new sentence that replaces the scratched-out word. I think that was a nice little detail that goes a long way toward presenting us with the idea that we are reading a journal over normal narration boxes. Well, that and the sort of torn paper texture of the narration box, simple details that work wonders on the way the story is told. Even though this comic suffers a tiny bit from the too-clean word balloons on top of textured art, due to the very custom wood balloons it actually works very well and doesn’t personally bother me all that much. If anything my only gripe with this story is that they just didn’t have enough sound fx’s. Other than the beautifully rendered “Snarrll” of a bear-like creature and the “Ouch” of a kick to the face most of the story is told pretty straightforwardly with word balloons and narration boxes.
There are also some really creative electric zapping sound fx’s and mop on head violence and don’t get me wrong, the 7 or 8 sound fxs we do get are really beautifully done, but they are also so beautifully done that I wanted to see even more. I’m also not asking for like 30 sound fxs but maybe bump that up to a nice 12-15 and I would’ve loved that a tiny bit more. Of course, those are just personal nuances that I have as a comic reader, which in reality don’t hurt this comic one bit.
I enjoyed this issue very much and the sneak preview at the end of “In Hell, we fight” by John Layman and Jok is a nice cherry on top of the delicious vanilla and chocolate sundae that is WTFPFH #13. I’m excited to read more and follow the story of Alabama and Lafayette further, I truly hope that somehow they are both able to stay alive and find a way out of the zoo.
Writing- 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 5 Stars
Writing by; Matthew Rosenberg
Art by; Tyler Boss
Colors by; Roman Titov
Color Assistance by; Shycheeks
Letters by; Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
CoverArt by; Tyler Boss
Variant Covers by; Zoe Thorogood & Scott Godlewski
Published by; Image Comics
Reviewed by Antonio “Mabs”
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