Writer. Creator. Large mammal.

SEVEN, Issue 1

JayJay here. I finally have all of the pages to the first issue together. To make it easier to read I’ve put the full size images on a web page so you can just scroll down. Click the cover below to go to the page:

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The Spirit of Vengeance

22 Comments

  1. Jean

    Loved reading the character dossiers and background research – a HUGE project which you've translated into a wonderful product. I would love to buy the complete set when it's available! Thanks for sharing your talent with us. 🙂

  2. Anonymous

    Just checking is jim Ok?

  3. Anonymous

    Just checking is jim Ok?

  4. Onion3000

    I agree with BladeX!

  5. Blade X

    That was pretty good. My only complaint is that we won't get to read part 2 any time soon.

  6. Anonymous

    (…cont'd)

    As for the art, that too was a pleasant surprise. No flashy and experimental panel layout, just very straight-forward and to the point stuff. Likewise, the drawings themselves aren’t showstopper material for the most part, but it is consistent – some I didn’t like so much, some I liked a lot. Where the art excels, however, is in both its fidelity to the narrative and its storytelling. Milli in particular is drawn as she is written, so that art and writing converge to create a flawed, somewhat hyperactive, insecure, clever, delinquent and utterly likeable character. Emotions are conveyed spot on. Things that are happening in the story are clearly depicted in the panels. One thing I love are the white flashes of recognition that appear on characters’ heads when they notice something, which I thought was used very effectively in the turnstile scene. Also, instead of treating talking head scenes as mere ho-hum talking head scenes, but as opportunities to explore the immediate environment and characters’ emotional state (Milli detachedly snaking on Meir’s snacks and dejectedly chewing on the rope of her hoodie during the psych session, for example). Aiding that is the good use of camera, which makes use of wide shots, close-ups, overhead shots, over-the-shoulder shots, etc. There’s one close-up where Milli’s got her thumb to her mouth and it looks too long and too slim to be a tongue, but otherwise, I had no problems with the rendering here. Clothes look rather dated in places, though, and none-too-special for the most part. But I suppose not everyone can be an Adrian Alphona when it comes to drawing clothes on characters. Similarly, backgrounds are competently drawn, with some generic looking buildings and vehicles, but overall one is treated to a good sense of scene, that there’s more to this world than whatever is going on with the characters in focus. All in all, my impression is that what the art lacks in style it easily makes up for in substance.

    I’d say where the visuals fall a bit is in the colouring. Now, I understand that these are mid-resolution scans and that has a lot to do with things, but all the same, I feel that sometimes it’s better to just stick with two tones or even well-selected flats than with airbrushing and gradients that don’t properly correspond to the shapes and contours drawn. I’ll admit that by in large, I’m not a fan of airbrushed shading and lighting; some people can pull it off spectacularly…but most people don’t. Given that, however, the colours really impress when it comes to special effects. The special effects and special lighting are really well done, even with mundane objects like headlights, street lamps and bicycle reflectors, let alone the power geysers (heh heh), fires, and of course the scene of Hayden absorbing the fire from the bus.

    So…yeah. That’s my two cents.

    – Mayowa

  7. Anonymous

    Not a lot of comments here, it seems. Shame. Well, I'll make up for lost verbiage.

    I really enjoyed this, myself. Funny how far solid storytelling and characterisation can go. I didn't really go into this story expecting very much and, frankly, it all seemed a little "Captain Planet" to me. So it was a pleasant surprise how easy a read I found this to be. Nothing fancy, nothing attempting to blow people's minds. Just good craftsmanship all around.

    I like reading a story and getting wrapped up in that story and then coming across the cliffhanger but not really expecting the cliffhanger and then being annoyed that there's a cliffhanger. That means the cliffhanger did its job, and the preceding pages did their job of building up to it. Not a lot of comics I've been reading lately accomplish that very well for me, or maybe it's just that I don't really care about the payoff and it’s my fault.

    I had a couple niggling issues with what was going on. For one thing, Haz is pretty quick to point out he's from Zimbabwe in a way that seems less in the way of natural dialogue and more for reader convenience. Also, towards the end, corrupt Japanese Jimmy Hoffa guy mentions alternate fueling in reply to Muriel telling him why their vehicle is immune to the blackout, but why would they need alternate fuel when only the power had gone out? And is it just me, or is driving around a city with a several (albeit wrapped) dead bodies in an open cargo an incredibly cavalier thing to do?

    Characterisation is a big deal for me, so I appreciated being able to get into Milli's character and point of view and ended up liking her for what's revealed on page rather than being made to like or follow her by virtue of her being the protagonist. The main villain was pretty villainy in a usual kind of way, and he didn't look like anything special. I do like, however, his dry sense of humour and unflappable demeanor in the face of the obnoxious fat guy who reminded me of a less dignified John Camdy. The other heroes (Scandinavian chick, Latino store guy, Livestrong), I felt, were well-introduced while not revealing too much. And that mob woman is one mean sonuva!

    (cont'd…)

  8. Anonymous

    really liked it. Would love to have read more!

  9. Anonymous

    guy proving he knows how to use a dictionary

    signed,
    human achievement award committee

  10. Anonymous

    Nit-picker,

    Look at Murk and his assistant signalling each other towards the end of the meeting. THAT is when he knew.

    Knows-picker.

  11. Anonymous

    Just one problem. At what point exactly did Murk know there was a non-joiner among those otherwise very trusting uber-criminals in the room? Before the meeting? – then why invite her in? During the meeting? – those ten very quiet deaths must have been done in double quick time. Does Murk have some kind of mental ability? Couldn't he have just pulled a 'Xavier' and all would be forgotten?

    Nitpicker.

  12. Anonymous

    Mirriam-Webster definition of

    Marriage:

    a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage

  13. Great comic with a tight story and very strong art. Had me eager to read the second issue.

  14. Anonymous

    Gay Marriage in two more states.

    Awesome.

  15. DJ

    Seven Comments? Hmmm…

  16. ja

    After reading Seven #1, I must say that I would like to read more.

    Nicely done.

  17. Thx for posting this. I reaaly like the fact that the penciller drew several full head -to-toe figures (not cutted). Dan Reed was also doing this often.

  18. Speaking of geography, I just noticed:

    Varangerhalvøya, in the northeasternmost part of Norway, is not a town, it's a peninsula ("halvøy" – literally "half island"). There are several towns and communities on Varangerhalvøya, such as Vardø, Vadsø, BerlevĂĄg and BĂĄtsfjord.

    Of course, I would never have noticed if I didn't happen to be Norwegian. 🙂

    I myself live in the other end of the country, something like 2,000 km (that would be about 1,240 miles) from Varangerhalvøya. I suppose that equals about halfway across the U.S.?

  19. Anonymous

    Jim, I can't believe that you spelt 'Sydney' wrong!

    -Brett Ballard

  20. Thanks a lot, J and JJ! This seems to be another great read. A slight pity that the art is not by the "real" Paul Creddick, though. 🙂

  21. Great comic. Great to get a Shooter fix once in awhile.

  22. awesome stuff Mr. Shooter!

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