Ron Fortier Reviews
The Misadventures of Clark & Jefferson Ape Entertainment |
When I read a comic series, I often break it down into three major components. One is the actual story from which all else hinges. The second is the interior art and the third crucial element is the covers. With THE MISADVENTURES OF CLARK & JEFFERSON, we have a series that delivers superbly on all three counts.
Jay Carvajal is a gifted writer who doesn’t miss a trick. This is a cross-genre tale in that it is a science fiction western set in the post-Civil War era. Sheriff Thomas Clark and his deputy, Isaiah Jefferson set out from the town of Sagebrush to chase an escaping outlaw. Along the way they encounter dozens of slaughtered cattle left to rot in the desert landscape. Shortly thereafter they encounter a troop of dead soldiers killed in the same horrible fashion. Clark is smart enough to realize that something unnatural is the cause of these brutal slaying and that he and Jefferson are most likely going to be the next victims unless they can find suitable protection.
The two end up at an army fort, where they join forces with the remaining soldiers in an Alamo-like stand off against a horde of ferocious aliens who have come to Earth with purely hostile intents. Much of the story reminded me of the recent film, STARSHIP TROOPERS for its long, drawn out siege on that frontier fort. Carvajal not only creates two very real and fun protagonist in Clark and Jefferson, but he also populates this fast paced actioner with some really good supporting characters to include a sexy trick shooter named Deadeye Mary and a staunch, Custer-like Cavalry Commander.
He also injects both humor and drama throughout which really helps the reader accept what is a truly fantastic premise. That we come to believe in Sheriff Clark and his wise cracking black deputy, simply grounds us in the narrative and we are willing to follow along for the ride eagerly. This is a truly well written adventure.
Thank heavens in Marc Borstel, Carvajal has found the perfect artist to bring his story to vibrant graphic life. Borstel’s style is highly remindful of the old great DC artist of the early 60s, like Joe Kubert, Russ Heath and Gil Kane. His figures are clean and fluid, making his actions sequences dynamic throughout. It isn’t often you find an artist who can do both close-ups and full background shots so effectively. Borstel brings a really nice cinematic quality to the story and has no problems depicting larger than life monsters. My only critique of his art was some interior backgrounds seemed sparse, but happily this is muted by the coloring.
And it is this same artist who delivers the four stunning covers to accompany the four chapters. If Borstel interior pages are terrific, let me tell you, his covers shine. His sense of dramatic design is perfect and each and every one of the four covers here was an eye-catching masterpiece that immediately captured my full attention and had me eager to get into the book itself. The job of any cover is to do just that and Borstel pulls it off beautifully.
All in all a great series that should not be missed. In a day when there are so many titles on your comic shop shelves, especially from the many small independent outfits out there, this is one you do not want to pass up. THE MISADVENTURES OF CLARK & JEFFERSON is a fun comic series and come on, when is the last time you really had fun reading a comic series?
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Page last updated on April 16, 2008