A couple of years ago, Com.X put out an original graphic novel that was truly unlike anything I'd ever seen before, called 45. In fact, it's not sequential art at all. Instead, it's a series of (fictional) interviews accompanied by gorgeous pin-up art from a bevy of notable artists. The connective thread is that the interviewer is talking with different super humans to prepare himself for the arrival of his child, who may or may not be born with the gene that causes superpowers. Through these interviews, writer Andi Ewington built his world from foundation to high rise and introduced 45 new characters in a very different way.
With BlueSpear, Ewington and artist Cosmo White take one of those creations – the titular BlueSpear – and present him in a traditional comic book story. The result is a visually interesting experience that builds off what was established in 45, though it does little to teach us much about the character himself. BlueSpear's entry in 45 (included in this book) was interesting because the character himself remained elusive – the interviewee is BlueSpear's younger brother – and that holds true in this comic. We unfortunately don't get to see a whole lot of the character beyond how other people view him, so despite the expansion of his story into his own book, he remains a stranger.
That said, Ewington does provide enough story here to keep the book interesting and ultimately prove his point about the apparent disconnect between BlueSpear and the rest of the world. The villains of the story are paper thin, but ultimately that is all they need to be in order for the character to make his mark. While readers that have no investment in 45 might struggle to connect in any way to the character, Ewington provides enough story substance here to make it worth checking out.
White's work is highly stylized here that hearkens back to the character's Japanese history. But the real shining point of the art is the bright, neon color work. The color sets a definite mood for this book that plays up the urban setting amongst neon store fronts and also helps give the relatively standard layouts a visual flair that catches your eye and never lets go. While White's character design may be too similar and his figures are rather stiff, his color work is evocative enough to give the art a weight that will keep the reader interested from cover to cover.
Though BlueSpear isn't a surefire homerun, it offers enough promise to determine that continuing the unique 45 premise into the traditional comic format is a great idea.
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