Writer: Chris Charlton
Artist: Rowel Roque
Preview: Arthur Black
Last November, I presented a review of Binary Gray #5 ,which
can be seen at http://the-hammond-comics-blog.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-binary-gray-5.html. The sixth installment of this series is due
to be available on February 1, and I have to admit that it the most exciting
one so far. Chris Charlton and Rowel Roque have really outdone themselves in
this issue.
Issue six picks up almost where the last one ended with Alex
Gray in the headquarters of the hero group, Virtue. The book gets exciting quickly as the
Agency's lackeys attack the facility.
The action in this issue is far better than in issue five, and it is
delivered like a full set of one-two punches. What you are not expecting is the sucker
punch at the end. We are left with two
cliff hangers.
Chris Charlton brought us an awesome concept of a villain named
Sleet in the fifth issue, and he delivers another in this issue. Tao is a villain working for the the Agency
and is the combined bodies and minds of two people. He also seems to have an array of
energy attacks. The design and presentation
of this new bad ass is fantastic. I wish there was
a bio of it at the end of the comic, in addition to the bio of Dash.
Alex Gray is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters
in comicdom. Mr. Charlton has done an
excellent job in delivering this character to us and developing him. As stated before, Alex's father was killed as
a bystander in a battle between the Cross and Scaldron. In this next issue we are given another piece
to the puzzle along with a new question.
Alex's powers also produce a shocking new feature.
What attracts me to a character like Alex Gray is three
things: realism, complexity, and
vulnerability. We should feel as though
we could go somewhere and find this person or someone just like them. Lets face it, no one's life is simple. There are all sorts of dramatic conflicts,
traumatic events, joyous occasions, and other events that happen in everyone's
life (just look at Facebook). Most
importantly everyone I have ever met is vulnerable. Some more than others, but that is a big part
of being a person. All three of these
are woven together in Alex Gray.
The artwork in issue six looks more vibrant than in the
previous issues. The colors used and the
contrasts really pop out at you. My
favorite work in on page 23. A purple
hue is used to really focus the attention of the panel to the action. Also on the last page, the blending of yellow
into the scene for the sun light is absolutely beautiful (shown below). Overall the artwork is really well done.
If any of you are not reading this series, you should
give it a read. It is an exceptional
series from a small local company, Assailant Comics (assailantcomics.com). I do not devote myself to much of anything
easily, but after the sixth issue of Binary Gray, my devotion has been
earned
The cover, done by David Hollenbach, is just awesome and a
little chilling. I am sure you seen it
at the start of this article, but take a moment to go back and really look at
it. Look right into the eyes of the
guy. Did you feel yourself pull back
just a little bit. I know I did. I have said it before. Hollenbach has a very unique style to his
work, and you can not just look at it.
You have to look it over and really let it live in your eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment