Taking a cue from today’s fast-moving movies and novels, Image Comics’ A Thing Called Truth tosses us into a car chase on the very first page! It’s issue one, on the run!
Workaholic young Doctor Magdalene Traumer has discovered and developed some new medical technology. This new tech will save lives, save money, and possibly even save the world! But it ain’t that simple, of course. In the next few twists of fate, Mag will have her world ‘not saved’, instead it is definitely turned upside down!
Writer Iolanda Zanfardino has a way with scenes, and characters, and dialogue. It’s drama at its best, as Mag tries to ‘right’ herself, get her bearings, get a clue as to what is causing the chaos around her. The moments have a pell-mell energy about them. The beats are brief and compressed. This pressurized treatment works and the writing is magnetic.
Likewise, artist Elisa Romboli draws with an immediacy. IN YOUR FACE. It’s up-close and definitely personal. Kinetic movement, exaggerated expressions, thoughtful camera angles. The colouring is cohesive too, following a strategy that depends on the environment we are in.
There’s a beautiful balance of subtlety and exuberance in this book. Check it out, it’s going somewhere!
Image Comics, A Thing Called Truth #1, $3.99 for 24 pages, Teen rating