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Black
Tide
Awakening Of The Key - TPB 1
[Reprints #1-8]
FEB/2004
Publisher: Angel Gate Press
Writer: Debbie Bishop
Pencils: Mike S. Miller
Inks: Rick Ketcham, Armando Durruthy, Clayton Brown
& Gregg Paulsen
Colors: James Rochelle & Matt Nelson
Letters: Dreamer Design
Price: $19.99 US/R135.00 SA
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Angel Gate Press [www.angelgatepress.com]
holds nothing back when bringing us it’s top of the line fantasy/action
adventure comic based around a mixture of covert ops and the long
lost civilization of Atlantis.
Justin Braddock is the top agent for a black ops organization known
as ‘The Deceivers’. Everything changes for Justin when
he meets Kaila, an Atlantean, and finds out that there is a whole
other world he never even knew existed. To top it all off he must
learn to live with the startling revelation that he is Atlantis’s
greatest villain and has the blood of countless men on his hand...
Debbie Bishop brings us a true mix of both fantasy
and action comics genres all rolled up into one very interesting
storyline. The page long back story on the back cover is your first
clue that this is not the most simple of stories to get into. With
a bit of a convoluted beginning, this series has an interesting
history but one wonders if it could have been cut-down or explained
more succinctly than it is here. An enormous amount of facts are
dropped in your lap from the start which instantly makes the book
hard to get into and may discourage new readers from giving it a
full go.
For all her scientific know-how and detailed explanation of history
and the archaeological and astrological record, Bishop manages to
sometimes leave the reader confused by leaving out key character
relations and details which would help in keeping the book more
enjoyable and easily understandable to the entry-level comic reader.
All of this aside I must applaud the tremendous effort put
into creating a new and exciting universe. Bishop seems
to have a labour of love for the details in her scripts. At times
that detail could do with a little more explanation as she seems
to go off on tangents at times, only to jump back with a quick-fix
explanation to appease her reader. Her dialogue can be unbelievably
witty and quick which brings a welcome humorous tone to a very dramatically
based storyline. Her new world [or her version of an old one, whichever
way you see it] and her characters are well rounded and she has
done well to engineer a fun and interesting new universe.
In between certain chapters you will find ‘tech notes’
explaining the world of Black Tide, but this almost works conversely
as it breaks the surreal universe/world they are trying so hard
to create. Perhaps these notes should have been moved to the back
of the book. They would have been perfect alongside the cover collection
and closing notes within that section. All together it would have
made, and does make for, one nice little package of ‘DVD
Extras’ to round out this first volume of work.
The artwork by Mike S. Miller is of a very high standard.
He draws figures tremendously well and has an eye for the ‘period
piece’ costumes of the Atlanteans. His scene setting and background
work is not his strongest point and his surroundings appear simplistic
and lacking in detail when compared to his main characters. It was
a wise choice to get top flight coloring and letters on this book
to aid in making it a top notch production. Both James Rochelle
& Matt Nelson on colors and Dreamer Design on letters finish
Millers art off nicely and make this a great book to look at. The
artwork and production levels are equal to or greater than any of
the Big Two [DC/Marvel].
This comic is a great success in creating and sustaining a new and
interesting universe of characters and stories for exploratory readers
to enjoy. If you’re looking for a stop-gap now that
Crossgen has bitten the dust, this could be it. With a
nice balance between fantasy/covert ops and science fiction, with
a bit of Shakespearean royalty and regalia thrown in for good measure,
this is a pleasant diversion I would recommend to those tired of
their normal superhero fare.
Score 7/10
Reviewed By:Iain Duncan
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Comic Reviews
