The Benevolent #1

The Benevolent #1
Art and story by Rodney Richardson

So, every time new books are released through Comixology Submit, John Roberts, the director of that program, gives a shout out to all the new creators on Twitter. I discovered this the day our book was released on Comixology (available now!) and went back through some of his previous tweets to check out other creators. One guy in particular caught my attention, Rodney Richardson, and I started following him on Twitter and Instagram. After seeing several updates for his upcoming issues, I decided to give his book, the Benevolent, a chance.

Abelinda is being haunted by her grandmother's spirit, manifesting through her dreams. As she tries to decipher the meaning behind these cryptic messages she meets two strange men. The first, Anubian, seems to be trying to protect her, though his motives are unclear. The second is a serial killer, the Urban Animal, stalking the streets of the California town in which she lives. How are these seemingly unrelated events connected? Read the Benevolent to find out.

Much of the story is narrated to us by Abelinda and in the beginning I felt like her exposition was a little heavy. However, as the story progresses the author finds the character's voice. By the end of the book, Abelinda is playing her thoughts a closer to the chest, I found myself looking more out of the narration and and happy author wasn't giving it to me; some things should be left for us to interpret or to wonder about. The thing that sets indie comics apart from the main stream is the willingness for the creators to take chances. Richardson's confrontation between Abelinda and the Urban Animal risked coming off as cliche, but his execution was anything but. For $0.99 the book is worth checking out for that scene alone.

Regarding composition, Richardson keeps things fresh by changing up his layouts on each page and does a good job of keeping the structure playful without interrupting the flow of the story. Most pages run eight to ten panels, so there's a lot of story packed into twenty-four pages. It's a smooth read.

The only complaint I can truly find with the book is that I felt the coloring detracted from Richardson's artwork. However, seeing the preview images for upcoming issues it looks as though this problem has been resolved. To be honest I can make that same comment on a lot of industry professionals.

Witches, hauntings, and serial killers are all familiar territory in the world of comics, what makes the Benevolent unique are not the elements Richardson chose for his story, but the way in which he utilizes them. There is thought behind the decisions made and he teases us with just enough information to keep us reading, as any good storyteller should.

Sanity & Tallulah: Plucky Teen Girl Space Detectives #1

Sanity & Tallulah: Plucky Teen Girl Space Detectives #1
Written and illustrated by Molly Brooks

A detour on the way home quickly becomes an adventure when Sanity and Tallulah discover a derelict ship. What lost treasures await within? What dangers creep through its silent corridors? There may only be one space suit and thirty minutes of oxygen, but the girls are determined to make the ship give up its secrets!

This isn’t something I generally discuss, but let me begin by saying, this is the most aptly titled comic I have ever read. Seriously, when Spider-Man is squaring off against Stilt-Man it’s not generally what one would call amazing, nor is every member of the X-Men uncanny, and sometimes the Hulk is merely credible. However, with Sanity and Tallulah: Plucky Teen Girl Space Detectives, you are told exactly what you’re getting. Modern authors seem to avoid using this kind of tagline within the title you see here and it’s easy to understand why, used incorrectly this device could come off as campy or expositional. In this case, however, the author sets the tone for her light-hearted adventure immediately and in the process makes the characters feel endearing. Too often in science fiction do we find old characters living in an young world, but Brooks turns this on its head right in the title by implying her young characters are living in an old world. It was a bold choice and I believe it serves her well.

This theme continues into the story as we find Sanity and Tallulah engaged in the tedium of space chores as they assess the risks and rewards of breaking the rules in order to earn a little freedom. As teens, believing themselves to be on the verge of adulthood, they feel confined by the strictly regimented rules those living within such a society would be expected to adhere to. These struggles are the essence of what it is to be young, they could just as easily be painting a space fence with Tom Sawyer; it is a timeless conflict. Just as one would expect Tom, Huck and Becky to abandon their chores in search of pirate treasure, Sanity and Tallulah discover a derelict vessel as enticing as any cave Missouri river dwelling children could imagine.

As for the characters themselves, the relationship dynamic between Sanity and Tallulah is just as classic as any odd couple pairing. Thankfully, Brooks is able to express these differences without having to resort to plates of spaghetti being smashed against walls. Instead of making us suffer through manufactured conflict, we are shown how each character's strengths make up for the other’s weakness. Those tensions between the characters are still present, but by expressing them with subtlety and trusting her audience the author is afforded the opportunity to reveal character traits without having to sacrifice pacing.

While there are certainly aspects of Sanity and Tallulah I find reminiscent of other stories I have encountered, the finished product serves as an example of what comics are capable of achieving as a medium. Entry level college writing courses are fond of reminding students that all stories can be reduced to seven basic plots, emphasising the key to good storytelling lies not in the events of a story, but how they are told. Brooks provides a textbook example of this old adage by breathing new life into old ideas, much in the same way her young characters find an old derelict ship and make it new again with their fresh perspective.

The one piece of stern criticism I can offer Ms. Brooks comes from my profound disappointment that there is only one issue to purchase. It is my hope, that by returning to my severely neglected blog I may drum up enough additional sales that she feels obligated to return to the series and I will be able to buy a second issue. I can think of few books I have read in the past year which I have enjoyed so much as Sanity and Tallulah.