Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Leroy Douresseaux on Ryder on the Storm #2



RYDER ON THE STORM #2
RADICAL PUBLISHING
 
WRITER: David Hine
ARTIST: Wayne Nichols
COLORS: Feigan Chong and Sansan Saw of Sixth Creation
LETTERS: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
COVER: Francesco “Matt” Mattina
56pp, Color, $4.99 U.S.

Before you read this review, let me offer this SPOILER ALERT: don’t read this if you have not read #1.

Ryder on the Storm is a supernatural-detective comic book from Radical Publishing. It blends elements and/or styles of Aliens, Blade Runner, Hellblazer, and Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden.

Written by David Hine and drawn by Wayne Nichols, the series focuses on Ryder, a private eye hired by mysterious beauty Katrina Petruska to investigate the horrifically bizarre suicide of her lover, Michael Hudson. The crime is apparently tied to the Daemons, an ancient race that once ruled over the entire world.

As Ryder on the Storm #2 opens, Ryder is still dealing with the fact that he is a Daemon. The last Daemon hunter, Charles Monk tells him the history of the Daemon (the condensed version, of course). However, there are more secrets galore, as Ryder learns about the “Abaddon” and meets Rebecca Danton, who is not only the matriarch of the Daemon clan, the Dantons, but also so much more.

While I can describe Ryder on the Storm as many things, I can best describe it as good comics. Writer David Hine delivers something that is gritty and edge with gore, but is strangely smooth and silky. Hine weaves a good back story and lore for the narrative, but builds intensity and also anticipation for the horror that is coming.

Perhaps, artist Wayne Nichols is the one who provides the smooth. His clean drawing style and crystal clear storytelling reveals all the darkness Hine creates. The colors by Feigan Chong and Sansan Saw of Sixth Creation create the ambience of a storm quietly building – the calm before the sure-to-be-fun ending.

A-

http://www.radicalpublishing.com/

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