DISCLAIMER*
After my review of Rapid Eye #1 I started to chat with Bobby Torres about comics and my desire to start creating. Bobby and I became friends and he helped bring me into the Tenacious fold where I have been given an opportunity to create. My issue one review was done before we became friends and issue two’s review will be similar to issue one, because you know, professionalism and all that.
Creator and Writer Bobby Torres
Writer Anthony Rodriguez
Illustrator Rowel Roque
Colorist Ronson Edulan
Letterer and Designer Dave Sharpe
Logo Designer Nic J. Shaw
Editor Jason Bennett
Editor Jack Gracia
For Tenacious Comics
When I first read issue one I stated that the premise of this comic was interesting. Looking back I don’t think interesting is a good enough adjective. I love this premise! Especially for the creative room it leaves in writing dream sequences, but also simply for the idea of something that isn’t quite possible but might be one day. I get the same feel for dream technology as I do for stuff like deep space travel, stuff that is just out of grasp for humans but holds a certain level of plausibility. Although the dream sequences and the idea of entering dreams is really fun I feel like Torres and Rodriguez have done a fantastic job at world building outside of the dreams and creating a very layered world. The dream sequences are certainly enjoyable and entertaining but the true storyline outside of dreams and character development have really made this book the satisfying read that it is. Most of the story is centered around Eddie Phillips a CIA operative that has stumbled onto some confidential information that isn’t meant to get out to the public. The cast of characters are thick and most of them are BA CIA agents. The storyline is thick with mystery and possible plot twists and turns that had me saying “Oh I see,” throughout most of the second issue. Issue one and two flow together very well and if I had one complaint it would be the same complaint I have with most indie comics, they take a while to produce. Sometimes I find myself wishing comics would be weekly instead of monthly but I understand the production time involved and when dealing with indie comics it usually takes even longer than bi monthly or quarterly. Because of this I feel like Rapid Eye will be a fantastic trade.
The art of Rapid Eye issue two is from the same artists as issue one so the consistency of art is present. The characters all look the same and the feel of the books are the same which really helps when reading an in depth book that is very detailed in storyline. Clearly where Roque excels is within the dream sequences where he can really let loose and do some cool stuff. The prominent dream sequence in issue two is a medieval style war scene where people are storming a castle and fighting with swords and armor. Not that the rest of the book doesn’t look amazing but the dream scenes are really fun. Again, the art is consistent, so luckily they were able to bring back Edulan for colors. Edulan brings a certain amount of professionalism and really rounds out the look of the book with his coloring skills. Roque and Edulan make a really talented team that I feel could easily be seen on a big two book.
A book is never complete without the letterer working his or her magic and believe that Sharpe has worked some magic. There are several spots where Sharpe has some prominent action lettering that drive home things like gunshots or gun cocking, and of course there are some random captions that work well, but where he really spices up the book is with the dialog. There are several spots where a character is yelling or just raising their voice but the font of the dialog is large and colored giving the reader the sense of importance and/or knowing that their voice is being raised. It’s a subtle but effective tactic and it really adds to the overall quality of the book.
Rapid Eye can be found on the Tenacious Comics website as well as on Comixology, and Bobby Torres can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
