Spindoctor’s Shadow Six #1
Spindoctor’s Shadow Six #1 Darklight Studios 2014 Written by Arthur Bellfield & Vince White Illustrated by Clove Rodrigues Coloured by Rachel LaChance Edits, Letters, Script Assist & Special Fx by Vince White The Strange must be be investigated! The Spin Doctor and his Shadow Six look to uncover hidden powers and realms as they learn to work together! This is one of those books that I literally just happened upon. I was looking for something and suddenly this was one of a few that caught my attention and I really had to see more. When I did find where I could get it at the first thing I did was check the interiors, we all know I have a very specific mindset in what kind of interior artwork I like, and what I saw made me want to see and know more. See this is what happens when you look for other indie/self or small press companies and you really should stop to take a gander at them. I think the opening here is sensational! What we see and how things unfold definitely did more than pique my interest and curiosity it captured my attention and kept me enthralled wanting to know more. The narration boxes here are both informative and misleading and it really comes together in a way that is predictable and surprising. An army following a young woman who appears to be honouring her gods intent on discovering and capturing that which they do not control. Sounds familiar if you ask me but who knows it could be something else entirely or exactly what it looks like. Either way it’s a strong opening. The interlude that brings Spindoctor and Alley Cat is interesting enough and it is a bit unnerving but then again that’s exactly the point. The dialogue and the story here is what is supposed to grab us this way and set our minds to work. It is an interesting premise and the fact that Spindoctor hasn’t yet formed a full team yet for this Shadow Six and it makes want to see who else is going to be chosen. There is a really nice flow to how we meet the characters here. Sometimes things happen for a reason and not through someone’s orchestration and it’s a think line sometimes. So to see what we are here has that incredibly natural feel to it and I like that. While there is that almost obligatory fight between good guys who don’t know their opponents are also good guys it still fits nicely into this book. The structure, the flow the overall feel of this issue is very well thought out and executed and it’s something to take notice of. The interiors are really nice to see. There are a few places that make me grimace like the body proportions on Ether on page 11, or Alley Cats inconsistency with the straps on her mask. Those however can be easily overlook when you look at the greater whole. A few hiccups here and there when the rest of the books looks amazingly solid is nothing to make a fuss over and the attention to detail we see here and how that’s done through the varying weights of the linework shows a really solid hand and eye for storytelling. As do the utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels. The way we see backgrounds being utilised as well as the creativity and imagination that’s on display is rather impressive. For a group of folks whom I have never heard of to put out such a solid, interesting and entertaining story like this makes me happy that fate stepped in and made sure I was able to find it. This is what comics are all about, the storytelling, the love and passion for the medium that we feel through the work of the creators. I want more, I want to see more and I want this series to take off and create a buzz because honestly it’s too good not to. You can find this book and more at http://willpowercomic.com/
