In issue four of Ablaze’s Children Of The Black Sun, the neighbours are upset. We know they are upset because they are carrying pitchforks, baseball bats with nails in them, and rifles, marching down the middle of the street.
In little Brightvale US, children who were borne Of The Black Sun are outcasts, despised by the God-fearing others in the community. There is something super-self-aware about these blond, tall slender kids that is unnatural and definitely NOT sunny.
Writer Dario Sicchio delivers this ‘arc-ending’ chapter and reveals some of the back story of the Black Sun’s strange effects.
I continue to love how this story unfolds, the inhuman eerie weirdness, the paranoia. It’s a microcosm of power and fear, wrapped together like a piggy in a blanket, a corndog of horror. One bite and we are hooked like trout; it’s processed and digested, and tastes great, but kind of scares us too. It’s in the super-intelligence of the Children, their smug superiority. It’s a kind of innocent arrogance, their assumption that they are more enlightened because of their darkness. But are they?
Artist Letizia Cadonici’s visual interpretation relies a lot on suggestion and subtlety; the figures that are in silhouette really ’should’ not be in silhouette… there is no practical reason for it. But Cadonici understands how the feeling of mystery and ambiguity serve the narrative, and smartly portrays events in the abstract. And THAT’S when realism, graphic violence, and grisly attacks really shock us. The muted colour at the hands of Francesco Segala lends toward orange sunsets and sunspots, with darkness at the edge of everything. Lettering is effectively under the radar with Ingegni’s delivery, plus it’s cleanly edited by Kevin Ketner, with assistant editor Amy Jackson.
Let’s all gather a breath while we await the continuation!
Ablaze, Children Of The Black Sun #4, $3.99 for 24 pages main story. Mature.
Newsdesk