David Pepose…I’ve seen this guy grow from his days with the failed Action Lab and now he’s managing multiple titles with requests for this week.
Peposed A Question
What kind of stuff does Pepose specialize in? For one, taking a new approach to familiar ideas and perfecting them for new audiences like this FCBD title for Mad Cave:
Speed Racer #0: Narrations, characterizations, presentation and visual exposition give the feel and momentum and pace of high speed racing. All the while giving it a subtle dark undertone. Practically like the Wachowski’s movie. Plus the backup by Mark Russell’s company about Racer X is a good side. 9/10
Captain Planet and the Planeteers #1: Back at Dynamite, in addition to Space Ghost, Pepose goes into this IP. But it’s starting with a prologue more than a real introduction. The characters’ intros are kind of haphazard where after a good start, the pace starts to crawl. Good art, presentation, and scale at least. 7.5/10
Mad Cave
And now back to our usuals.
The Phantom #0: Guess this was only a matter of time. Between Dick Tracy and Flash Gordon, Comics Kingdom characters have been popping up. This one has a decent character intro, where narrations and tone make up the pace. Could have used less monologues though. 8/10
Defenders of the Earth #6: Emotions run high when it comes to questioned loyalty. It’s a great example of keeping a central theme on pace while making it it’s own thing. Plus there’s more to look forward to. 9/10
Dark Pyramid #2: Pretty good way to set up how much of the atmosphere is justified. Not only does it feel cold and indifferent, but there’s a sense of wanting to protect sanctuary. Until it gets more twisted when looking at how a cult weaponizes a god. 8.5/10
Crush Depth #2: Really felt the shift from camaraderie to paranoia inducing. Every new page gets claustrophobic with the sense of intruders the crew let on board. 8.5/10
Kill Train #4: A thrilling, yet bittersweet issue about coming to terms with the life you’ve got. 9/10
Don’t Forget Your Briefcase #1: An intense political thriller about carrying weight. There’s a real sense of loss and dealing with fallout on every character. Where every move is like walking on eggshells that could set off a meltdown. 9/10
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice Vol. 2: It’s a definite step up from the last volume. A way better pace, less Easter Eggs, and more characterizations. A lot of it comes down to focusing on the effects these adventures have on the characters. Including framing one major plot point like an abusive relationship. Although it still feels like a few things were missing to make it great. 8/10
Synap…Wait, that’s it? It looks like it could’ve used one more issue for this album. I know I criticized the pace of the first issue…But…I gotta stop there. Anything else would’ve been too loaded.
