CRIME AND VIGILANTISM SPINNING A NOIR TALE: “SPIRAL” #1 (REVIEW)
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Spiral (Part One of Four)
Krakenprint
Written by: Magnus Aspli
Art and colors by: Emerson Dimaya
Design and lettering by: Nic Shaw
I found this comic on Kickstarter, which of late has become my new stomping ground for finding indie and self-published comics. What drew my attention right away was the interior art of Emerson Dimaya. The contrast of colors has always been something I love in any art form. From the start of the comic, we get to see one of the basic color theories at work: color harmony. Without knowing much about the story, the pleasing colors give us the experience of who in the story is through balance and order (blues), which characters are starting to lose control (gray and purples), and who is already in a spiral of chaos (red). These visual ques are just one method this creative team is using to tell a vigilante story set in the noir genre.
Magnus Aspli’s narrative and script don’t waste time in explaining who everyone is, but describes the backstories and motives through a natural dialogue. As the pieces start to come together for the reader, as to where the story is going, the lives of the characters start to fall apart and spiral out of their control. With the crime and violence as the main theme and the vengeance-seeking vigilante as the progressing feature, fans of any Martin Scorsese-esque mafia movie or the thrilling capes and crusaders blockbusters will be wowed by this book.
The title of the book, Spiral, isn’t the name of the hero or some kind of criminal syndicate. The title is a strong reference to the story as the main characters start to see the actions they take begin an unstoppable spiral that has severe consequences right away. Again, the colors play a part in the storytelling, and they are not invulnerable to being subject to spiraling out of control. Where in the first few pages the panels visually tell us the moods we are supposed to be experiencing, there is a shift to fully colored pages accentuated by the building action.
This is only the opening act of a four-part story, and I can’t wait to read more. This book has everything I love in a story; a vigilante seeking vengeance and a crime organization with ambitious members. It will be really interesting to see how these two families try to stay afloat in the havoc caused by the spiraling-out-of-control chaos they each brought upon themselves. As of right now, each of the four issues will be run through Kickstarter, so everyone who missed out on issue #1 can get that when the campaign for issue #2 launches in a few months. And, of course, once the story is complete, Aspli and Dimaya, who have been working on this project since late 2013, will take the series to Comixology and possibly the Direct Markets! For now, keep an eye on Kickstarter to catch up. Help support this vigilante-crime noir continue its violent and intriguing story.
Born in Boston MA, raised in NH. Fully functioning adult who happens to read any and every comic under the (yellow)sun. Of course there are the favorite comics I must read when they're released, but any comic is fair game in my eyes. Of course my love for pop culture doesn't end with comics, but branches out to movies, toys, video games and most importantly Dungeons and Dragons (which I withheld this last hobby from my Fiancée until she said "Yes").
Point of Origin for my nerdy condition may have been in '93 when I got slimed at Nickelodeon(now closed), and a teenage accident or two(collapsed lungs) landing me in the hospital around the same time the Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies started coming out. When my dad stopped at the local comic store and brought me the essential comics for Spiderman and the X-Men, I stood no chance. (Which also created a secret aspiration to start a fundraiser of sorts to bring comic books to kids in hospitals to keep their spirits up(nothing has come of this to date)) Add in a heavy dose of trip to Disney World, upcoming Disney themed wedding and a career aspiration to become a Disney Imagineer, I think it's safe to say I never want to grow up.
Xbox Live Gamertag: AllusiveReaper7
(If you notice my xbox achievement score, you might assume I game a bit)
Twitter: @AllusiveReaper7
Recent comic addictions(Non "Big Two"): Saga, Crossed, Coffin Hill, Rat Queens, Pathfinder and Rover Red Charlie
Collects: Old Comics (Green Lama), Miniatures (D&D, Heroclix, Star Wars), Action Figures preferably 90s and older, and comic book themed hats
Systems Owned: NES (though it was my sister's), Game Boy(The gray brick), Sega Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Game Boy Advanced, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, Xbox One, Junk PC
