Filed under: Comic Reviews, Indie Comics | Tags: Black Hearted Press, Dex, Gary Chudleigh, Glasgow Comic Con, Mackie, Miranda, Talking Dog, Tanya Roberts
Released a couple of weeks back at Glasgow Comic Con – the first issue of Gary Chudleigh & Tanya Roberts Plagued: The Miranda Chronicles found it’s home among the Black Hearted Press titles on offer and after seeing brief glimpses of the artwork online this was a small press title I wasn’t going to miss.
The basic premise of the issue sees a post-apocalyptic Scotland in the aftermath of a plague that’s ravaged the country and infected the vast majority of the inhabitants who struggle from day-to-day to survive. Witches are now walking among the general population and this of course means we have with-hunters making an appearance too and this sci-fi adventure moualds the world around our central characters. Mirand Lee our witch, Thomas Mackie our witch-hunter and Dex his talking dog…..that’s right….TALKING dog…..but then in a sci-fi world of witches…..you’re bound to get the odd talking talk anyway.
Mackie is hot on the heels of Miranda and he can almost taste that sweet, sweet bounty that he’ll get for bringing her in but this all takes an unexpected turn when Mackie is blackmailed to help Miranda cure the plague once and for all…..and all while being pursued by the pesky authorities…..but to be fair, Mackie DID call for back-up…..what a muppet! So we twist and turn through the plot as Gary weaves a fairly intricate world around these main characters and it’s not until you read through it a few times that you realize just how much story their actually is…..in fact, it’s crammed with what could very easily have been seen as a “word-heavy” issue but it works in it’s favour. I think that’s mainly down to the pacing as the action moves quick while the dialogue keeps running and that all adds up to a fairly hectic ride to be along for.
Tanya’s art, although initially too cartoony for me, acted as pitch-perfect compliment to Gary’s story as she adds excitement to the action and detail to landscape…..so in the space of one issue she’s gained a fan (wonder if she’d do me a Cap sketch :D). The subtle jokes and adventure mix well with the sci-fi elements and ultimately result in what feels like a much fuller issue than it’s 20-odd pages would have you expect. Lets not forget that we have a talking dog in this issue too as Dex drops in and out of the action with a well-timed and sensible piece of advice……although I can only assume he’s fighting to urge to pee/poop on something.
Sci-fi, witches & adventure have all mixed to give us the start of yet another small press success in my eyes…..one that Gary & Tanya will surely add to in future issues. Go grab an issue #1 now over at the BHP shop.
8/10
G-Man
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