New from Source Point Press is Broken Gargoyles #1. This imaginative reimagining of the mid-1920s in the US gets our attention right away with a tremendous front cover illustrated by Raymond Gay on pencils and Jeremy Clark inks. It’s No Man’s Land indeed, as two masked figures stand among the smoke and burning rubble.
So how does the story run? Well, this New York City of 1925 is kind of a Metropolis Art Deco world, and young war veteran William is having trouble fitting in. His family life is in disarray, he is disfigured and bitter, and his heavy drinking isn’t helping matters. The towering buildings are a stark contrast to things in Arizona, however, where a Supersoldier has appeared out of nowhere to ambush a military convoy. It’s the ground level beginnings of a really strong story by Bob Salley.
Salley gets the dialogue and settings right, the grim mood and tempo create tension and suspense. Just WHAT is going on in Arizona among the convicts, the clouds of dust and the mayhem? It looks like an armed uprising is in progress, and the forgotten men of the 117th Infantry Regiment have finally ‘come home’!
Stan Yak (artist) brings us visions of grit, sand, and resistance, with strong renderings of Road-Warrior-like truck trains, and desperate conditions. There are cool buildings and hot trucks. Robert Nugent’s colors portray just the right amount of environmental detail to help us understand the “past”-apocalyptic world of Broken Gargoyles. Justin Birch’s capable lettering keeps us on track, tightly and concisely. His effect lettering is ‘just enough’ to shake the place but not shake the pace. Additional color by Marco Pagnotta.
There is lots of drama and potential in this indie book. The first issue has laid the groundwork for the assault that’s coming to us in issue 2, and I am looking forward to reading more!
https://sourcepoint.press Broken Gargoyles #1, $3.99 for 27 pages of content, Assume Teen rating
@Bob_Salley @JustinBirch @TheCatBaron
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