Without question, reading Step By Bloody Step #1 is an experience unlike any other in comics. While some comic book readers may have experienced books that move quickly and feature have little dialogue, Step By Bloody Step #1 is completely muted. Sure, there are a few characters who talk, but the creative team didn’t use actual letters, leaving readers to rely on the body language and actions of characters to figure out what’s going on in every panel.
Image Comics
Written by: Si Spurrier
Art by: Matias Bergara
Colors by: Matheus Lopes
Graphic Design: Emma Price
What also makes the decision to omit any dialogue so bold is Step By Bloody Step #1 takes readers to a new world. Sure, we’re still dealing with humans, but this feels like a different planet or some mystical place. And with there being no dialogue, Si Spurrier and Matias Bergara are making readers investigate every inch of every panel.
But, as readers try to get their footing in this new place, so does one of the story’s main characters. While that’s not necessarily a new concept at its base level, Step By Bloody Step provides readers with a new experience because the character has no way to verbally communicate with anyone. So often in fish-out-of-water situations, we see characters who meet someone who can guide them or offer assistance. Instead, readers get a massive, nonverbal knight — who has some layers.
The world Bergara and Matheus Lopes illustrate feels quite vast. Because there’s no dialogue, it allows the reader to take more in. While that can be a lot at times, there are slight lulls in the action to give readers a chance to gather themselves or even circle back when needed.
Looking for more comic book content? Go check out the latest episode of Geeks WorldWide Radio‘s TLDR podcast, where Joseph Gilmore and Nick Friar discuss comics weekly and talk to creators from the industry — available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Also, be on the lookout for TLDR’s upcoming interview with Step By Bloody Step writer Si Spurrier, which drops on Wednesday at midnight Eastern Time! Be sure to subscribe to TLDR wherever you listen to the show to get every episode and future interviews delivered right to your device.