Indie spotlight: Point of Impact #1

“Point of Impact” is a four-part miniseries that is as much a crime drama as it is a study of the human condition. The first issue begins with the death of a woman.

A couple sits tentatively waiting for that goodnight kiss, when suddenly a body strikes the roof of their car, crunching the roof and the body in unison. The following page is a full page spread of the woman’s body lying atop the destroyed car, and the two passengers standing on either side taking in the horror. All of this is depicted in a scant five panels on the first two pages. It is a startling beginning, but it sets the tone of the series immediately.

The rest of the issue unfolds by introducing the key players--all the individuals tied to the woman...and perhaps her death. Her husband, her paramour, and her cop friend (who is investigating her murder).

The lead-up is fairly simple; it could be the pilot episode to any new cop drama on television, but what makes it unique is its execution. Writer, Jay Faerber, solidly composes the first issue by depicting the event (the murder) and then ties the main characters to that event. The transition between narratives is fluid and does not lead to any confusion, which is difficult to pull off when writing an ensemble. Ensembles are always the sought after choice when writing practically anything, but to properly weight each character accordingly and create audience interest in each character is a valuable and acquired skill. Faerber pulls it off masterfully.

However, like any comic book...there is always another side to the coin. The writing is superb, but what really rounds out the issue and pushes it to ’11’ is Koray Kuranel’s artwork. As the artist for the book as well as the cover, Koray creates tension and drama by removing the color and focusing on the stark contrast of a black and white world, that as written by Jay Faerber is metaphorically filled with gray. It creates a beautiful noir atmosphere that naturally fits the crime drama genre.

Charles Pritchett is the letterist for “Point of Impact,” and personally his artistic touches to the series do not detract or add in any significant capacity. Maybe that is the mark of a great letterist? Like in poetry the rhyme should be hidden, but present--just never overtly. Regardless of the intention, or the mark of a great letterist, the print is present, but never distracting or flamboyant.

All-in-all, this is a great indie title that I think will unfortunately be missed if not plugged more. Image Comics is producing some amazing titles. It isn’t all about “The Walking Dead”--their entire lineup is topnotch, and in quality compares and perhaps exceeds what DC andMarvel are producing. Image Comics has that small publisher feel, but with the potential to reach out to their readers like the large publishers can.

Pickup all of your Image Comic goodies at your local comic book store. If you support local, you support your city as well as its people.

(SOURCE: Indie spotlight: Point of Impact #1)

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Walking Dead vs Walking Dead

Walking Dead is a series of Image Comics created by RobertKirkman and Tony Moore in early 2003.  After the first story arc (issues 1-7) Charlie Adlard replaced Tony Moore as lead artist; however, Moore produced the covers till issue number twenty-four.  Walking Dead has received numerous accolades and industrial nods including an Eisner in 2010 for ‘Best Continuing Series.’  The success of the series continues well into the new decade and has been adapted for television by AMC.

Recently the show broke for its midseason break that left viewers in shock at its stellar conclusion.  With the television series hitting mainstream success many Walking Deadviewers are becoming Walking Dead readers, so how do the two stack up against one another?

Comparison

First off I would like to mention that I love both the Walking Dead graphic novels and television show.  Walking Dead is truly one of the best comic book runs and television programs that both industries have to offer.  Basically there are not too many downsides to either the comic book or the show.

The comic series has been in production for eight years and is constantly evolving and becoming something better than it’s predecessor.   There are numerous pros for the comic book series:  First off Robert Kirkman is a great horror storyteller.  He knows how to grab you and keep you hooked even when he is depicting the darker side of humanity—especially when he is depicting the darker side of humanity.  His ideas seem to be bountiful, and the direction and surprises are always ever changing.  Also, I would highly recommend reading the introduction to the first volume ofWalking Dead.  It has some great insight into the creation of the series; Kirkman writes, “The Walking Dead will be the zombie movie that never ends.”  And, to propel this everlasting zombie tale a strong lead is in order and at that premise a wonderful character, by the name of Rick Grimes, was born.  He truly is the lightning rod in the series; he keeps the plot and other characters grounded.  He is a relatable character who stays sane by adhering to a strict code of ethics.  He has very black and white view of right and wrong, and this code is makes him a very capable leader as well as an interesting character to read about.  Truthfully, there is not much to complain about the series.  Personally I prefer Tony Moore’s art, in the first volume, rather than Charlie Adlard’sstyle.  Moore’s art is more detailed and clean cut and the grey tones are phenomenally rendered.  Adlard’s art tends to be a bit rough around the edges and less detailed (fewer grey tones).  However, I can see the change in artists being justified because as Walking Dead progresses and the survivors of the zombie apocalypse become more and more haggard and removed from humanity the gritty artwork can be looked as a means to accentuate the plot.  The trade paperbacks also seem to cut off in odd places at times.  This is done in an effort to make all the graphic novels meet the same page count while maintaining a single price point. Image Comics could have easily used a varied pricing system and page count for the trade paperbacks akin to Vertigo’sFables series.

The television show blends a lot of the comic series, while still maintaining its own uniqueness by fleshing out alternate plots and adding/changing the characters found within the comics.  This is a great idea because by keeping the atmosphere of the Walking Dead comics, but by having Kirkman expand on new ideas, fans of the comic series will be attracted to the show but stay because of the new storylines.  The new characters added for the show are a great addition to an already stellar cast.  Daryl Dixon who is not featured in the comics, but was added for the television series has quickly become a fan favorite and garnished just as much attention as the lead, Rick Grimes.  The additions to the cast create an interesting and different dynamic that flourishes wonderfully on film.  The cast selection for the show is fantastic, and almost every actor brings a great presence to the screen while conveying an aura of believability in such a post-apocalyptic urban landscape.  Also, the availability of the first season on Netflix is a huge plus, so if anyone has not had the chance of catching the first season and has Netflix—check it out!  The only real drawbacks to AMC’s Walking Dead is that the first season is far too short—a scant six episodes, and the second season had a great intro, a slow build-up, but an excellent midseason finale.

One of the more dichotomous aspects of both the comic book and the television show pertains to the series characterShane Walsh.  I include this as both a negative and a positive.  I thought that his fate in the comic series was incredibly poignant and served as an excellent foray into the genre.  However, within the television series he is the character everyone loves to hate and he serves as Rick’svoice of discontent.  Both serve their purpose and it is hard to label one or the other as merely a pro or a con—it is somewhere in between.

Honestly, I am not sure if I could rank one above the other.  I have been desperately trying to holistically grade them in an effort to recommend one above the other, but I get just as excited picking up the newest Walking Dead graphic novel as I did watching the latest episode.  Both iterations have their pros (more so than their cons) and with Kirkman’s hand in each I think that they will both be highly successful.  I give them both high marks.

Pick up any and all Walking Dead comics and graphic novels at Merlyn’s Sci-fi and Fantasy Shop in downtown Spokane on 19 W. Main Street, and pick up the first season, available on DVD, at your local Spokane Hastings for only $15.99.

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