Filed under: Exquisite Reviews | Tags: Alasdair Stuart, Dave West, INDIO!, John Ayre, Marleen Starksfield Lowe
‘What is meant to happen, will happen’
Written and coloured by Dave West
Art by Indio!
‘Chronicles of the Great Machine’
Written by John Ayre
Art by Indio!
Colours by Dave West
‘The Escape of the Jigsaw Girl’
Written by Dave West
Art by Marleen Starksfield Lowe
Published by AccentUK
A new title from Accent UK is always something to look forward to and this is no exception. An anthology, it opens with the story of Kingdom, the robotic soldier built by Robert Stephenson as the first of many. As is always the case, things don’t go to plan and Kingdom is the only one of his kind. He also, rather magnificently, has a top hat and cigar built in.
West’s script sets everything up smartly, and Indio’s art lopes along with it in great expansive strides. It’s an excellent start although there are a couple of things regarding Cruickshanks and his abilities that could be clearer. Regardless, the super soldier genre can add another sartorially and physically intimidating character to its ranks.
‘Chronicles of the Great Machine’ is stunning, Indio returning on art to tell a graceful, vast story about the lost history of Mars. Ayre’s script sets everything up an immense scale story and Indio’s art matches him every step of the way. It’s an opening so there’s not much plot but good grief what we get is pretty.
Finally, West’s back on script duties for ‘The Escape of the Jigsaw Girl’. Starksfield Lowe’s art is great, Tim Burton esque sworls and mania combining with West’s complex but largely silent script. It’s a clever, nasty story told with staccato grace and sets up an interesting future for the character as well as working in its own right.
This is about as far from Westernoir as you can get stylistically but it’s a gamble that definitely pays off. These stories are spike, complex and pull no punches but they open the door to a remarkable new world. Join some of the best creators on the UK circuit, and start exploring it.
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Travelling Man's Blog 
Thanks for the great review! SR has been a long time in the making so it’s good to hear you like it. Interesting you mention Tim Burton. He is of course our first choice of Director when the film is made 😉
Comment by Jon Ayre December 19, 2014 @ 8:44 pm