APPROBATION COMICS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Nenad Cviticanin
COLORS: Santtos
LETTERS: Krugos
EDITOR: John Ward and Denise Thompson
COVER/BACK COVER: Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. / $1.99 digital-comic (2018; digital release date – November 7, 2018)
Rated: “M” for Mature / 17+ Only (comiXology)
“A Promise of Home”
Surfacing is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Approbation Comics. Surfacing is a horror anthology, with each issue offering a different story based on a similar theme – a violent encounter with mermaid-like creatures (which are the subject of the four-issue miniseries, Surfacing: Depth Perceptions). Surfacing is written by B. Alex Thompson; drawn by Nenad Cviticanin; colored by Santtos; and lettered by Krugos, with gorgeous cover art drawn by Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz.
Surfacing #3 (“A Promise of Home”) opens somewhere in the American West, sometime in the 1800s. There and then, we meet Bennet Ramirez, Amos Parker, Kit Taylor, Zeke Breen, Elijah Hart, and Jasper Doolin. They are a roving gang of armed stagecoach robbers. After their latest... successful campaign they visit a small wild west town to cash in on their loot.
It seems that a traveling circus has also set up in that town, and Kit Taylor, considered a bit sanctimonious by some of his lot, visits the circus. There, he discovers a wondrous and captivating creature, a being that will decide Kit's fate and that of his fellow thieves.
When I first prepared to read Surfacing #2, I did not know what to expect of it, especially after I had enjoyed Surfacing: Depth Perceptions so very much. It turned out that I thoroughly enjoyed Surfacing #2, which was and is a truly exceptional single-issue comic book story.
Surfacing reminds me of dark fantasy anthology series like the classic “The Twilight Zone” (1959 to 1964) and the 1980s “Tales from the Darkside.” Both series feature stories set in the present, as well as in the past and the future. Surfacing #3's “A Promise of Home” is set in the “Wild West” that is familiar to audiences via American “Western” films.
However, at its heart is a timeless tale of star-crossed lovers, in which the author somewhat downplays the fantasy and the horror fiction aspects of the story. B. Alex Thompson, as he has done in some of his other anthology work (like his Amour series), depicts real human emotions and feelings in a fantastic setting and allows the humanity to dominate.
Artist Nenad Cviticanin delivers lovely art and excellent storytelling. Cviticanin's clean, “clear-line” style is evocative and focuses in on the most important aspects of the story. He depicts the “American West” in a way that is recognizable to readers, but he saves his storytelling prowess for a truly powerful ending, with its love-at-first-sight angle. The coloring by Santtos captures the strength of the story with subtlety and grace, and Krugos' lettering is gentle and effective.
Of course, I am crazy about the cover illustration by artists Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz, and I'd like to see more of their work. Surfacing #3 makes me wish Thompson would produce more Surfacing, especially with this exceptional group of collaborators.
9 out of 10
Buy Surfacing #3 at comiXology.
www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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