Blackthorne #1
Creator: Colin Work
Review by Josh Rose
Calgary, Alberta has a new hero. Well new to readers, but not new in the story. After an eleven year hiatus, the hero known as Blackthorne has returned to dispense a brutal sense of justice on the criminal underbelly. Blackthorne #1 sees the vigilante take out a crew of drug dealers and the return of one of his longtime nemeses.
This was a great story! You can tell that this is a passion project for Colin Work. According to fellow comic creator and friend of Work’s, Donovan Yaciuk: “It’s got a voice that feels so effortless and natural and honest from Colin. It’s got heart and completely sells you on it… It’s like a good indie record. Not the most polished or professional, but fully invested in itself and it shows.”
Work does a great job of introducing his characters. He drops readers into the middle of a car chase and follows it up with some superhero action. It slows down just enough to establish the relationship between Blackthorne and his arch-enemy, the Jester, before leaving it on a massive cliffhanger! This was a Walking Dead level cliffhanger!
While the story was great, I found the art threatened to take me out of this world. Particularly the first panel. The perspective felt really wrong, and the panel border cut the cars off at the bumper. The lampposts felt flat, and the light coming from them shouldn’t have been outlined in black. The first panel feels like it just didn’t get the attention it deserved for how much it captures. Later you see Blackthorne kneeling on top of the van. I was wondering what was wrong with his leg before I realized that he was kneeling. What Work does very well is show the action, and that’s where I got lost in the story. The panels and the action flow together very well, and it’s easy to follow.
I found Work’s lettering to be rather inconsistent. It varies in size to try and fit within the text bubble rather than the text bubble trying to fit around the text.
The Verdict: Check it out
Blackthorne #1 is a story that bleeds its creator’s passion for it. And because of that passion readers are just as likely to be sucked into this strange world of Blackthorne’s.
Blackthorne #1 is available for purchase through Colin Work’s Facebook Page.
