Filed under: Comic Reviews, Indie Comics | Tags: Dan Thompson, Ivanna Matilla, Moon, Ray Barton, Shades Rodriguez, Steve Penfold, The Agency
A recent title I picked up on my comic con travels was this Indie by Dan Thompson & Steve Penfold……and from that front cover…….it looked to be a fairly wacky idea they had with their main character having a moon for his head.
It’s only once you start that issue #1 that you realize that it’s the ACTUAL moon that’s taken from the sky in England 12AD following a ritual at a local Henge……it’s nuts…..but I’m IN! 12th Century nutcases bringing a Moon spirit to life and disrupting the tides (as you’d expect) and we’re whisked forward to present day and the middle of a crime scene. Police in place and a taped off area are soon being watched over and analyzed by our 2 main characters – Moon and Ray Barton….members of “The Agency”. Analyzing the scene faster than the CSI team they’ve tracked down a lead and are soon on their way to find out more…..or at least they would be if the Traffic Warden would get out of their way. Cue a face-off between them and the Warden and the power struggle goes the way of Moon & Ray……well DUH! Closing out issue #1 we see them both having a bite to eat while Ray breaks the news that after 27 years of working on cases he’s taking 2 weeks holiday – although they’re being closely watched by some unidentified military types and we end with Ray being shot……WTF???…….how can all this happen in one issue???
We then have issue #2 – picking up in the warzone that was the local diner and the military group are moving in fast with guns blazing. Moon doesn’t take this lying down and takes down as many as he can and escapes with the help of the Traffic Warden from issue #1……although all the effort is in vain as Ray passes on…..in an unexpected twist and we’re dropped head first into a mystery of who had our two agents in their sights. The buddy comedy continues though as Moon teams up with Shades Rodriguez, our now EX-Traffic Warden whose use of extreme force means he’ll match up well with our silent Moon.
We’re now onto our second buddy team-up and we close out the issue with our new team being watched closely from the shadows. JEEZO…..it’s a whirlwind across those 2 issues but somehow it feels like there’s so much packed into them that you have to read and re-read them to make sure you got everything. Funny, random but with real style and let’s face it, the whole mismatched heroes thing is ALWAYS going to work……although the unique part for this is that main character. Moon is silent for the duration but still remains our central hero….helped along by a strong list of characters around him and the high-paced title is just plain FUN to read, so kudos to Dan Thompson for that. Subtle jokes and off-the-wall humour tie-in with the crime and investigation parts seamlessly.
A particular nod has to go to Steve Penfold on art and Ivanna Matilla on colours – they both combine well to give intricate artwork that captures the mystic elements of that opening ceremony and the high-octane action that kicks in soon after. Capturing the varying moods in between as they match the art to the mood of the writing. They introduce a main character and then kill him off……that’s the kind of curveball tactics that get you hooked and wondering where the hell this is going to go…..ROLL ON ISSUE #3
Go catch more on Moon at the website
8/10
G-Man
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