(I Box Publishing)
Writer/Artist: Mark Oakley (moak@interlog.com)
WHAT GOES ON: Heath Wingwhit and Rubel seek an exit from the dragon Cespinarve's dream, wherein they've been trapped-- but which will bring Rubel back to the land of the living, where he lies bleeding in an alleyway after being wounded by the evil prince's soldiers.
Here's what I thought...
Heath proves herself more than capable, even without the sorcerous powers she's been led to believe she possesses, of finding a way out of the dragon's dream-realm through employing reason and love, possibly the two most powerful forces known to humankind. M'Oak uses his one mostly-text page to give us insight as to the poor dragon's state of mind, and how Heath's independence and lifelong support for the underdog stands her in good stead when appealing to Cespinarve's heart. Nicely done, as is the transition Rubel undergoes when escaping back into his less-than-ideal waking state, where his faithful demon friend Varkias has watched over him.
I love the way Heath and Varkias converse so matter-of-factly upon their first meeting, but if Varkias once belonged to Heath's mentor Quinton that would make sense. It's a very static scene, but you feel their sense of desperation to help the gravely-injured Rubel-- they're literally up against the wall, and the visuals greatly enhance the feeling of being trapped in their situation. I think four pages of this was probably a bit much-- M'Oak still needs to work on his pacing-- but it's quite the relief when Heath finally cuts loose and runs through the town in search of help.
Considering the amount of time M'Oak has Heath spend in the house of Jenny Porter, speaking with her and her grandmother, we're led to believe these new characters will play a significant role in her and Rubel's lives. The fact that Jenny resembles Heath's guardian Aunt Jay cannot be coincidence. But, as M'Oak is wont to do, he only drops the merest of hints of what's to come as we're swept along in plot and action. This can get a bit maddening; I think we have enough danglers by this point and would like to see some sort of subplot closure. Instead we get another chase scene, as Heath finds herself torn between getting Rubel the help he needs and NOT getting it from the soldiers who wounded him in the first place.
While we get a fairly comprehensive amount of exposition by way of conversation throughout this issue, it felt rather forced, and M'Oak's hand-lettering is legible but amateurish and therefore a bit of a strain on the eyes. I still hope he'll acquiesce to computer lettering soon, it will help his presentation tremendously. I enjoy the amount of background detail he puts into his work, but sometimes it threatens to overwhelm the and crowd the action. I recommend the book, but it takes a bit more patience than with the usual fare to get the most out of it.
- Elayne
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This review copyright Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, reprinted here by
permission.