Before we start to talk about this very well drawn comic book, that leaves you asking too many questions, we, impressed with the quality of the work, HAD to ask more about the author, and we are glad we did.
Steven LaFlamme, the author:
- Wrote, directed, and produced “Cigarettes & Superheroes”, a top five finalist in Kevin Smith’s Moviesaskew Film Festival. His other short film, “The Birthday Card” won numerous awards more than 2 million views, and his other short film “My Dad (a true story)” was a hit at The Indie Filmmaker’s Co-op of Ottawa film premier!
- His screenplay BABY ON BOARD came 4th out of 4500 entries at the Houston International Film Festival in Texas.
And to top all of this, THIS very comic is an adaptation of the award winning TV Pilot with the same name, “B-Files”, that is already a success, hitting 11 sales on the first week of publishing on Amazon. Ok, this might not seem like much, but, when you take into account that the vast majority of self-published books struggle to reach 100 sales in an entire year, you can see how and why this is a major sign about the quality of this comic.
You don’t have to think, or doubt about why it was an instant hit, because in the first frame you see clearly why this comic book is AWESOME!
The illustrator, Azi Satria, made a very good job on this comic!
The first frames give you the idea of the style of the illustrator, and what comes in mind when we look at the work is: Uncluttered.
Yes, the drawing style is as clear as crystal but the details are so subtle that you have to look with focused antention to notice. THAT’S how you know that the illustrator is good.
In the very first frame, the lines are drawn with a precision that is uncanny. The building’s frame tilts ever-so slightly and you can see the different lighting for the windows in middle the floors, and how much the building bulges forwards on the lower floors when compared with the higher ones. THAT was made on purpose! You can see the alignment, the perspective and how it makes sense in terms of architecture because of the arrangements of the pillars on the ground floor. EVEN the windows shift as this happens! Amazing.
Ok, you won’t find a “Studio” quality drawing when it comes to the characters, but remember that this is an indie, self-published comic and given the level of difficulty that comics into themselves are on, this is a very good piece of work.
The colours are excellently put, the letters and little elements are always in accurate proportion with each other, the shadowing is spot on all the time, so there is a lot to clap for when it comes to graphics and design.
The shadowing is simple, very characteristic to the style of the illustrator, yet, not out of place, especially when it comes to the direction of the light,
So, what about the story?
The story, that is more like the intro of the comic, the Pilot, as said before, is about two FBI agents, that look a lot like underdog agents, that are transferred from the main division after an “incident”, lol. They are left without any cases, so they go to the “lowest of the low” when it comes to the FBI cases, the “B-Files”. Now you have two B-grade , FBI agents working A-Time on the B-Files, and believe it or not, they actually are good at it, ahhahahahha.
This Comic is promising, and for many reasons. The first is that it has humor to it. A little dry and out there but once the reader tunes into the frame of the comic direction, smiles are present.
The second reason this comic promises is that it entices those that will be more prone to the plot of the comic: Conspiracy theorists.
The third reason is that the author makes a great job in leaving loose threads on the comic plot, and this will surely grip readers.
We will keep a sharp-eye on the development of this comic book, as it has a lot of potential. This Pilot creates lots of expectations.
So, should you grab this comic? Yes, and follow the author. Good stuff here. Very nice indeed.
Pros:
- Excellent shadowing, proportions, perspective and depth on the drawings
- Excellent details on certain frames that shows the true skill of the illustrator
- Great graphics when it comes to background
- Good graphics when it comes to the characters
- Interesting story that entices the reader
- Cool characters, some funny, some angry
- A consistent style of drawing that is uncluttered
- The author stopped in a very well thought out scene that will leave all questions gathered so far, unanswered and leaves us with even more questions. PERFECT!
Cons:
- On the 2nd-3rd frame the papers on the board had a different arrangement from the previous frame.
- There is one misspelling in the comic
Scribble's Worth 
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