PopCultHQ

PopCultHQ received a review copy of THE BREACH #1 from Half Evil Comics, which is currently LIVE on Kickstarter. The premiere issue is written by Rylend Grant, art by Fábio Alves, colors from Iwan Joko Triyono, and letters by HdE.

Here is PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of THE BREACH #1!

THE BREACH #1

Written by Rylend Grant
Art by Fábio Alves
Colors by Iwan Joko Triyono
Letters by HdE

Covers & Cover Artists:
Cover A by Fábio Alves & Iwan Joko Triyono
Cover B by Fábio Alves & Iwan Joko Triyono (“Ethereal” Variant Cover)
Cover C by Fábio Alves & Alex Zief (“Risque” Variant Cover)
Cover D by Howie Noel (“Postcard” Variant Cover)

Mane Harbor, Alaska is the number one commercial fishing port in the United States. Its fleet of 200 ships – mostly crabbing & salmon-snagging vessels – brings in over 750 million pounds of fish every year, worth upwards of $215 million. Mane is the rare place where a half-drunk high school dropout with a strong back can clear $100K+ a year if he works all three seasons.

Needless to say, there’s a good living to be made catering to the whims and vices of these moneyed goons. For decades, rivals MAURICE PARKER (60, a white local) and LEONARD PATOOK (60s, a local Native American elder) and their crews have butted heads, fought each other tooth and nail to snag the biggest slice of Mane’s proverbial drug, prostitution, & contraband pie.

When we meet them in the present, however, Mo and Leo have struck an uneasy truce, as both their criminal enterprises face almost certain obsolescence at the hands of a vicious and well-resourced crew of Russian gangsters (from just across the Bering Strait) whom have recently blown into town, bent on devouring Mane’s entire criminal pie.

Underlings are going missing. Shipments are being hijacked. Boats are being sunk. The Mane underworld is a powder keg. God help us if we see a spark…

A small portal (or “breach”) opens at the edge of town and through it trips a man we’ll come to know as SIGMA. Sigma has risked life and limb to travel here from Earth’s future to deliver a chilling message: There is a MASSIVE military force gathering back where he came from… evil men and women, set to invade our present and do God-only-knows-what. They’ll be arriving via a much larger version of the “breach” in two weeks. They absolutely must be stopped. The clock is ticking…

Shortly after Sigma arrives, a mysterious paramilitary unit know as DELPHI – led by an formidable woman named ELIZA HUNT – rolls into town and starts knocking heads, turning over rocks, doggedly hunting Sigma.

Sigma makes it clear to Maurice, Leonard and company that he is the one thing currently standing between them and total annihilation. If he is taken into Delphi custody, the world as they know it very well may end.

So, this rag tag crew of Alaskan drug smugglers must drop everything and essentially become Sigma’s personal security service, his “fixers” in this time period. They need to protect him at all costs, while helping him to gather the technological components he needs to prevent that larger breach from opening, the components needed to stop the invasion.

The Russians never stop rearing their ugly heads, however… and when they see that Maurice and Leonard are into something new, they’re obviously going to want their piece of the action.

Having familiarity with your creative team, like REALLY familiar, has to be a HUGE asset in putting together a comic book. That comes through in THE BREACH. Though the stories may change, that interconnectivity continues and increases the excellence the creators produce. Fábio Alves has typically had Edson Ferreira as his colorist in Grant’s books – BANJAX and THE JUMP. His colorist here on THE BREACH is Iwan Joko Triyono, who has colored for Grant in ABERRANT, THE PEACEKEEPERS, and SUICIDE JOCKEYS, though usually was accompanied by Davi Leon Dias as the illustrator. I wanted to see how these two work together and I’ll tell ya, I loved every minute of it. I’m also eager to see Rylend flex more in the science fiction realm than in the past. SUICIDE JOCKEYS gave us a taste, but this series feels like we’ve only just begun with the genre.

Writing:

Rylend Grant set a very high bar for quality, delivery, engagement, and excitement with his very first published comic book ABERRANT. Every title since has reached or exceeded that bar in awe-inspiring fashion. With such a run of world-class projects, you know while reading his books that you’re going to shout-out some damn-good exclamations… “F***in’ Incredible!”, “This is SO F’N GOOD!”, “C’est si bon!”, even “Yahtzee!” 

Grant has a knack for creating stories that are multi-layered. The writer of the recently released HAUNTED HEART continues to showcase his cinematic prowess in this medium. We experience racial tensions, witness military operations, follow a story of love and heartbreak, see shadiness in government involvement, an intriguing sci-fi element, coming together despite their differences and contempt for one another to fight a common enemy, grief and loss, and of course time-space portals The remarkable thing about all of this is Rylend’s arcane ability to produce all of those aspects out in one issue in a way where you’re excited to see how all of them turn out. It’s not just one cliffhanger to make you anxious to find out more.

Art:

Fábio has a true gift in owning panels where there’s no dialogue. Where words aren’t used, his artistic prowess delivers the mood of any scene or emotion that needs light shed upon it. His line work provides substantial intensity, dramatic expression, and storytelling dexterity. Some scenes with the military recalled imagery of Alves’ work on ABERRANT, which really took me back and had me reminiscing. And what I’m looking forward to from Fábio is more of his contributions with the science fiction elements. The breach itself, the armor from the future, and all the potentiality this series has beyond its debut, I expect Alves will bring us some wildly creative and stunning artwork. 

Colors:

With Iwan Joko Triyono working with a new illustrator in Alves, I was curious about how the two would work together without their typical co-artists. Iwan comes smooth with it. As detailed as Alves’ line work can be, Triyono really fills out the backdrops and make the scenes come alive. Honestly, I couldn’t differentiate how Iwan colored as opposed to Edson’s colors on Fábio’s artwork. Iwan really embraced Fábio’s style well and allows his art to takes center stage. That isn’t surprising, I suppose, given that’s been how he connects with his artist. I’m jacked to see more of Iwan’s color work on the sci-fi elements too, given how glorious they are in this first issue. He just crushes it.

Letters:

HdE & his lettering is nearly as much a constant in Grant’s books as Rylend. Aside from FA SHENG: Origins, which was lettered by Deron Bennett of AndWorld Design, HdE has been Grant’s go-to lettering professional. The letterer continues to deliver his high standard for quality, precision, and technique. Having worked with both Alves and Triyono on most of Grant’s books, the skilled professional is at-home with the creative team in this debut issue. His alignment, some nice butting balloons, a healthy load of caption work, and his sound effects are extremely dynamic and strategic. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out HdE’s contributions to the early double-page spreads, both are beautiful examples of what a great letterer can add to any project. His lettering elevated those scenes, possibly more than the stellar art and the sweet color work. 

Overall Assessment:

I really cannot find any faults or issues with THE BREACH #1. Not that I ever want to but everything was of a high caliber. I really appreciated the context and highlighting of this Alaskan seaport town. The cast of characters and their differences make for an interesting aspect of this gritty, small town crime drama. The back-to-back double-page spreads in the opening scenes are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not only for the amazing illustrations, but the colors explode across the pages, and the lettering & onomatopoeia are off-the-charts. The cohesiveness of this creative team only intensifies the final product and the readers reap the benefits. Rylend’s masterful delivery imbues his cinematic experience in this action thriller. Fábio captures the script delightfully. Iwan is a champ with his color work & partnering with Alves. HdE has a massive & impressive output that could go toe-to-toe against any award-winning lettering job. And finally, the sci-fi component, as impressive as it is in this first issue, is going to make for a breathtaking and electrifying series. Grant, Alves, Triyono, and HdE make for an astounding team on an otherworldly level with THE BREACH.

PopCultHQ’s Rating: