Comic Review – Clone #5

            I’ve heard good things about Clone.  Let’s see if they are true!

Cover:

            First things first, the cover is by the interior artist (Juan Jose Ryp) and it actually depicts something that happens.  Those are two distinct marks in the “+” column as far as I’m concerned.  The illustration itself is well done, full of action, full of movement, and full of intrigue for the interior subject matter.  I have never read Clone before, and while this cover does not tell me anything about the story as a whole, it does tell me that it is (or at least should be) exciting.  The quality of the art itself is great as well.  Everything is hyper-detailed, which makes the fact that this woman is hanging out of an airplane while firing a gun believable in an unbelievable kind of way.  Hell, even the logo is clear and readable.  Well done all around.

9/10 – It’s an action movie in a comic cover, well done.

Story:

            Dialogue is pretty sparse, especially in the early-going, but the story does move right along.  This is a good thing in some respects as it gives Ryp’s art a chance to really star (more on that in a bit) but it does make for a short read.  Writer David Schulner has done a decent job of crafting a story that, while it does feel a bit like it’s been done before, at least has the possibility of finding its own voice.  There is an interesting sub-plot with the vice president and some guy that isn’t identified, but he scowls a lot so I assume he’s a bad guy.  It shows where the loyalty lies for the vice president when he ultimately makes his decision and sets up a very sinister bad guy for future use.  The big reveal that the individual that I assume is the main character is the “original”, the one that all of the clones come from, and that he is dying, is a nice twist.  You can go into a story like this thinking one of two things, that the main character is the original or that he is one of the clones.  Either way, it feels like a more grounded version of Marvel’s Multiple Man.  With the government conspiracy angle that arises though, it is possible that this will actually be an effective story upon its completion. 

            Even at this stage of the game, where you expect the first story-arc to be winding down, the nuggets placed for future stories are not only appreciated but are downright delightful.  It’s obvious that Schulner has a lot of faith in this and is ready and willing to reward those readers that share his faith.  None of the characters are inherently likable, there isn’t enough dialogue there for me to form an opinion, but some of the situations that he puts the characters through makes you feel for them a bit, and I have a feeling if I had read the previous four issues I may be more invested in the characters themselves.  This may be his intent though as the plot of the story, at least in this issue, takes precedence.  That’s an artistic interpretation though and it’s specific to the creator on how he wants to drive the plot forward.  I am more of a character driven plot guy myself, but I absolutely can see the other side.  It’s possible that read in trade paperback form, more of a balance will be struck.

7/10 – It’s good, though a bit light on the dialogue for my tastes.  I can see a solid base though, and it is an intriguing storyline that it feels like Schulner has a distinct vision for. 

Art:

            Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat.  Juan Jose Ryp, you make good art.  Okay, to be a bit more specific, the amount of detail that he puts into each page and each image on said page is remarkable.  This is not even counting the stippling effect, which has to be a brush in Photoshop right?  There’s no way that is done by hand as consistently as it is.  I am still impressed, don’t get me wrong.  In fact the first thought that crossed my mind when I looked at the first page was “How does he stay on schedule?”

This is the page that made me stand up and take notice right out of the gate.

You can see a lot of Geoff Darrow in all of the minute details that he puts into his work.  Nothing seems out of place, and he doesn’t sacrifice essential elements like perspective and anatomy for detail, nor does he use that detail to just cover up flaws in his own ability. 

            There is no cookie-cutter face for the characters here (which is saying a lot in a book called Clone) and everyone seems to be sporting an expression that is appropriate for the situation they are placed in.  It’s this manic attention to detail in all aspects of the artwork that make Ryp’s work stand above that of his peers.

            It should also be noted that colorist Felix Serrano does a great job with keeping everything realistic and using light and shadow effectively in conjunction with the massive amount of detail.  

There is so much detail and acting in a bunch of nonessential characters here.  It's like they each have a story to tell and aren't just cardboard cutouts.

You can tell he's the bad guy because he always has this scowl every time you see him.  

The only flaw in Ryp's work is that the amount of detail can often make the women look mannish and that her lips look like a kielbasa.

9/10 – This was an impressive artistic undertaking and from all of the promos for the previous four issues along with the preview for issue six, Ryp has been nothing if not consistent. 

Overall: 8/10 – The story was promising and the artwork is outstanding.  Highly, highly recommended.