Travelling Man's Blog

Written by Jon Lock

Art by Nich Angell

Additional art by Ash Jackson and Nathan Ashworth

Letters by Michael Stock

http://nichangell.co.uk/theheavenlychord.html

Afterlife Inc is the company that ensures your eternity doesn’t feel like forever. Or rather, like a deeply rubbish forever. Run by Jack Fortune, a recently dead conman with a silver tongue and a prehensile tie, Afterlife Inc has more than their fair share of problems. The most recent of which is Zachary Briarpatch, a young man from a world where music and passion are deadly weapons. The wielder of the 7String guitar sword, Zachary is on a mission of vengeance to destroy Lars Troubleclef, the would-be dictator of Zachary’s world.

Then there’s Requiem. Who wants to conduct the final music for both of them…

This is one of those crossovers that does six impossible things before breakfast. First off it’s a coherent story from the point of view of both sets of characters, secondly it’s a perfect introduction to both and thirdly it introduces a major new force, Requiem to threaten both of them. Fourthly, it’s a perfect meshing of Lock’s laconic, slightly Matter of Life and Death-esque writing style and Angell’s clean, precise lined martial artistry (And I mean that in the ink way, not the punchy/throwy way). Fifthly it manages to do the ‘huge misunderstanding and fight followed by team up’ in a way which doesn’t feel like box ticking and finally it’s crammed with wit, energy and fun.

Like I said, six impossible things. The standouts for me are the wonderful double page spread that features both casts and the way the two casts collide. Afterlife Inc have near infinite resources and a remarkably relazed attitude to death. After all, it has already happened. Zachary on the other hand is a grim, vengeance seeking samurai and his single-minded purpose punctures Afterlife Inc’s mild arrogance to hugely entertaining effect.

Both sets of characters are in other books, 7String and Afterlife Inc respectively and you should absolutely pick them up but honestly? I’d start here. Firstly because it’s a fun, tight, action packed story whose second part is going to launch at Thought Bubble next month and secondly because it’s a great on ramp for both series. Energetic, smart, and huge fun. Comics with guitars have never sounded or looked this good before.