Writer: Bryan Hill / Artist: Rhoald Marcellius / Image
Sooo… you gone throw us into a timed Ninja Warrior drone hoppin’ session in a technologically advanced cityscape?! Yes, please. This new title by Bryan Hill and Rhoald Marcellius is a Parkour enthusiast’s wet dream. Bonehead engages you from the first page and leaves you breathless. I did more running with my eyes in this issue than I did with my legs in real life this entire year.
Between the jaw-dropping design and the adrenaline rush, you’re gonna need a glass of water. 56, the protagonist, is somewhat of a mystery. We don’t know what he looks like because of his “Bonehead” helmet, and he doesn’t talk. Actually, we don’t even know if he’s a ‘he’ so I’m gonna say ‘they’ from now on. The cool thing that the comic does to convey silent and masked 56’s feelings is use emoticons. It’s a refreshing and fun way to keep the reader engaged, and it makes 56 stand out even more than they already do.
This series promises that it’s gonna be full of action, and Marcellius’ art is more punctual than Amazon Prime same day delivery. One thing that always annoys me in comics is the inconsistency in action through the panels. Sometimes a character might jump in one direction, and then the next panel they’re coming from a completely different angle. And you’re sitting there like “wait… what?” But not with Bonehead. 56 is exactly where you think they’ll be at all times. It really makes for a fluid read that feels as action-packed as it looks.
The character building for 56 puts a smile on my face. We learned about them through context instead of exposition. You have no idea how happy this made me. When I was in college, all my teachers would preach day in and day out, “Show, don’t tell!” It was the number one thing that stuck with me. But you won’t believe how often, even in comics, that people opt to tell instead of show. Seeing character development unravel organically through the situations that 56 gets into is as refreshing as the water that you’ll need after reading this.
The thing this issue left me wanting more of was a stronger sense of story elements. They brought that heat with everything else, but I’m not sure I have an idea where this story is going after this. I’m sure that’s the point, as it hides so much of 56 from the reader. But I want to know what the conflict is, what 56 wants, and how they’re going to achieve it. But this is the first issue and it had to establish an entire world let alone its protagonist. I can’t wait for issue 2 to come out to see what unfolds.
8.8 Digitalsaurus beatdowns out of 10
Are you following Black Nerd Problems on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube or Google+?
Show Comments