Review - 3Corps - Issue # 2

With issue number two, the 3Corps series takes a strong leap up the comic book ladder, quality-wise. Both the art and the coloring are amped up, and 3Corps begins to look more like a professionally produced comic book, rather than a comic book published by a small, independent publisher.

Not that no other comic book published by independent publishers ever come out looking professionally done. Some do. Most, however, do not, if my own past experience with them is any kind of indicator, at all.

Publishing a comic book can be an arduous - and expensive - undertaking. Publishing a comic book that has a professional grade look to it can be even more difficult, and even more expensive. Yet, the extra effort and the added expense doesn't always translate into a comic book becoming popular.

After all, the public can be finicky. It doesn't always embrace things that have merit to them. Sometimes, even solid products fail, and for a variety of different reasons.

This is one of the better examples of special effects lettering from issue two.

That said, with issue two, 3Corps succeeds grabs me from where I left issue one off at, and visually beats interest into me. It commands my attention, and even more importantly, it leaves me wanting more, by the last page of the issue.

My man, the Colonel!

Issue two succeeded in convincing me that 3Corps is a comic book title worth following. I feel like this title is a series headed somewhere worth tagging along to. The improved art and coloring were instrumental in abducting both my eye and my interest, but it is the story which ties my hands and won't let me escape.

I am, in other words, a willing prisoner. I have now become more than just a reader. I am more than just some meager excuse for a comic book reviewer. I am, quite plain and simply, a fan.

Now, does that mean that there's nothing about issue two of 3Corps that I don't like? No, not at all. But, all things considered, issue two managed to bust out, and advance deep into the territory of my interest, as a reader.

Nice snow scene helps to set the mood.

If I told you everything about issue two of 3Corps that I like, the fact of the matter is that I would end up spoiling the book for you, especially where the story, itself, is concerned - and, generally speaking, that's something that I strive to avoid, when writing reviews of comic books.

In issue one, 3Corps - whether intentionally or unintentionally - left my mind wondering who the actual villain was. Gabriel came off as a bad guy, initially, but he did a decent enough job of making me attach some sympathy to him. I began to like him, as the story in issue number one progressed. Within the span of a few pages, Gabriel came across to me as better constructed, as a character, than the guy that he was fighting, a superhero by the name of Max.

Holy fuck! Now THIS is a villain! Meet Dr. Specter! Spectacular visual!!

By comparison, issue two yields up a villain that is visually worthy of being called that. He looks the part, this Dr. Specter.

You can tell, right off the bat, that Dr. Specter grasps the role the villain. There is no way that your mind won't make that connection. Plus, he's not just another bad guy. He doesn't just do bad things. He is violent. He is vicious. He doesn't suffer from compunction.

Devastator looking good.

Maybe he's a big reason that issue two of 3Corps really began to click with me in ways that issue one failed to. That really gorgeous panel of Dr. Specter didn't hurt any, I'm sure.

His fist is clenched. He has that really devious look on his face. That sinister grin. That exposed brain.

That what?!

Yeah, you heard me. I said that he has an exposed brain - as in, I can see it.

Superheros tend to be visually pleasing, in most instances. Not that all super villains look bad. Some come across as quite dashing or as absolutely beautiful, in fact.

She has a name - Krimson!

But, not Dr. Specter.

Nope, not this guy. Not this fellow.

Dr. Specter takes devious pleasure in offending your eye. He is quite at home with blood - and by extension, bloodshed.

Plus, he talks like a villain should talk. He's an unapologetically wicked fellow. He's evil. Depending upon his mood, he might have two legs, or he might have six.

Say what?!

The Colonel getting right into character for issue two of 3Corps.

I phrase it that way, for a reason. This is one of those characters that you come across in a comic book that you really need to see for yourself, to fully appreciate what he brings to the pages of a comic book title.

Interest-wise, Dr. Specter made a bold grab for my attention. He's not content with just killing people and doing bad things. Oh, no, not Dr. Specter. The "good" doctor intends, I believe, to hook me, and to make himself one of my personal favorite villains of all time.

A wicked man.

Unfortunately, issue two of 3Corps wasn't long enough to afford our esteemed villain ample opportunity to accomplish quite that much. In other words, Dr. Specter was robbed!

But, his loss is the reader's gain, as I now want to learn - above and beyond wherever it is that the 3Corps storyline ultimately leads - just exactly what this doctor is up to over in his neck of the comic book woods. Whatever it is, it can't be good - but, that helps to make a comic book into a juicy read.

Both issue one and issue two of 3Corps begin taking the reader elsewhere. In the case of issue one, it starts out talking about Daedalus and Icarus. Where issue two is concerned, the reader is treated to King Arthur and Merlin.

Both Arthur and Merlin, in fact, were part of a beautiful visual score within the pages of issue two. Now, the people over at Top Secret Press have my eye craving for more of those figures ripped from the pages of myth. It rose to the level of being a sub-production within a production. It was a fine start to issue two, and I hope that Top Secret Press will continue this trend of baiting readers of its 3Corps series with characters and elements of tales firmly rooted in mythology and lore.

ACK!! This made me want more of Arthur and Merlin.

3Corps maintains a firm grip on solid lettering, in issue two. It opens well, in issue two, and it remains visually strong across the entire issue - with one notable exception.

I really do NOT care for the lettering scheme (and the speech bubbles, for that matter) that issue number two saddled the character, Devastator, with. Honest to God, Devastator deserved better.

This looks dreadful. Thumbs down!

The coloring is still not exactly where it needs to be, as some scenes visually underwhelmed me, due to the coloring, alone.

But, by and large, issue number two of 3Corps really gets this series moving in the right visual direction. Top Secret Press clearly made a conscious effort to up the visual ante, to bring its visual A-game to the fore.

And that, my fine comic book friend, is most commendable!

Special effects lettering remains a mixed bag. There's not a lot of it going on in issue two, but where it does exist, the special effects lettering has both some really good examples and some examples that are the visual equivalent of blah.

Divine speech bubble with solid lettering.

Issue two introduces the reader of this series to some new characters. They bring interest, both of the visual variety and of the literary variety, to this title.

Enter Krimson and Faceless.

It's good to have a woman in the superhero mix, now, and Krimson gets off to a strong start, by engaging the reader verbally through her opening scene with the Colonel.

Remember the Colonel? He was my favorite character out of the bunch from issue one of 3Corps.

The Colonel firing off a few choice words after his sanctuary is invaded.

Well, he's back - and he's looking good, in issue two. Plus, he's still sporting some choice dialogue. Even his opening thought bubble in issue two was right on the mark. Between his dialogue and his thoughts, the Colonel is, I believe, the best developed character in this comic book series, to date. Then again, 3Corps is still at an early stage in its life, as a comic book title, at only two issues in.

Krimson is supposed to be a speedy character, according to the Colonel's top secret files on her. Rumor has it that she is capable of speeds up to four hundred miles per hour.

Very nice!

But, that certainly didn't stop knocking the Hell out of her.

In fairness, he had her by the hand, just prior to knocking her up side the head. Even still, the fastest visual depiction of her, special effects-wise, was the scene where she is show impacting a tree, following Devastator laying the smackdown on her.

Thus far, I find myself being more of a fan of Krimson's talk than I do of her game. She's courageous, albeit it a little foolish, as she's quick to rush in where angels might be well-advised to fear.

OUCH!! That hurts!

Max performed a little better in issue two, than he did in issue one, but even still, I am still finding myself trying to like this Max fellow. He has potential, but for me, personally, Max is a superhero that has more power (in a superhero sense) than he has appeal (in a character sense).

The colorist doesn't help Max, in his bid to achieve my respect, as a reader. One of Max's moment's of intense anger in issue two was effectively killed, in a visual sense, by the resort by the colorist to color that particular panel with pale colors.

The result?

Max's intensity was sacrificed upon the alter of bad choices.

Beautiful scene. Nice coloring - only pale, which is counter to intense.

At least Gabriel, back in issue one, had the decency to beat the living Hell out of Max. That was a visual treat, even if the coloring in that issue was not up to issue two's visual standard, as a whole.

Faceless is a character that I find to be interesting, but at the same time, he's not played a very big role in the storyline, yet.

The character, Faceless.

Visually, Faceless has a strong entrance into issue two. In a nutshell, he has a solid look, visually speaking. Action-wise, he's visually downplayed in this issue.

Why??

Some mysteries in comic books take time to explain, though, but here's hoping that Top Secret Press increases Faceless' onscreen time on the panels that populate the inside of 3Corps' future issues.

Through dialogue, Faceless managed to accomplish more for issue two than he accomplished via visual imagery. His exclamations near the end of issue two were a solid way to introduce the reader to Max's fury - something that Max, himself, still struggles to visually bring to the table in this comic book series.


The thing that I don't understand about 3Corps, and by that I mean, the one thing that really continues to bother me about this comic book, is how the artist is bringing home the visual bacon one minute, but the visual impact upon the reader ends up getting muted, whether by the colorist or the artist a panel or two later.

You're damned right! Nice visual, nice special effects lettering. Solid visual punch!

That inconsistency is, I believe, robbing this comic book title of a lot of its potential impact upon readers. One minute, my eye is going, "Wow!" The next thing that I know, my eye is visually dozing off to sleep. Yet, let me tell you, and make no mistake about it - there's some really enticing scenes in issue two of 3Corps. There are some super examples of comic book art. There's even some excellent examples of coloring. But, some of the potentially best scenes do not seem to have the artist and the colorist on the same visual page. The end result is that my eye is left wanting - for something more, for something bigger, for something better.

A no-name character, but he looks good.

Namely, for that something that was in place and intact only a panel or two before. I stress this, because it is crucial - absolutely crucial, if what Top Secret Press is truly after is to deliver the best comic book experience possible.

Presently, 3Corps still isn't quite there - not in every way, anyway.

But, issue two did go a long way in moving the ball visually down the field, to get this comic book title within scoring distance for a future issue in the 3Corps series.

Unabashedly, I recommend issue two of 3Corps.

Nicely rendered, but that lettering.

Unapologetically, I continue to criticize certain things about this series.

But, all things considered, this is a comic book series that has progressed (and noticeably so) from issue one to issue two, and it is achieving the goal of being an interesting read.

Don't wait to get drafted! Grab yourself a copy, and join up as a 3Corps reader, today!

In the meantime, I'm going to soldier on as a fan of 3Corps.
 

3Corps - Issue # 2
Publisher: Top Secret Press
Writer: John Daniel Taylor IV
Artist: Ferran Sellares
Inker: Jordi Tarragona
Colorist: Jay Moyano
Lettering: Inklight Studios
Editing: John Daniel Taylor IV & Francesca Henle-Taylor

Regular Cover
Penciler: Ariel Medel
Inker: Juan Albarran
Colorist: Jay Moyano

Variant Cover
Penciler: Sergio F. Davila
Inker: Juan Albarran
Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Review - 3Corps - Issue # 1

3Corps is a comic book title that hails from an independent comic book publisher called Top Secret Press. That's an appropriate name for this publisher, since 3Corps is built atop a strong strain of secrecy.

I read issues one and two of 3Corps in a back-to-back, rapid succession manner. As soon as I finished issue one, I then immediately took up the reading of issue two. I say this for a reason - that to read issue number one as a standalone item will not give you the picture that you need of either the storyline or the characters, in order to fully appreciate the potential that this comic book series embodies.

As with many first issues put out by independent comic book companies, issue one of 3Corps suffers from its fair share of shortcomings. Namely, the supporting mechanisms find themselves challenged to deliver on the premise of what the underlying story advocates in favor of delivering.

In other words, the story, itself, is the strongest asset that issue number one contains within the expanse of its pages.

Often, when it comes to the creation of comic books, the art tends to command the greatest expenditure of dollars, followed by the coloring. Lettering is often the very first thing placed upon the sacrificial altar, in the name of getting the thing done and out the door.

It's an action packed comic.

And the writing?

Oh, well, for some inexplicable reason, writing is an undervalued commodity, in the overall scheme of manufacturing comic books.

Issue # 1 of 3Corps is quick to toss the reader directly into the thick of things. One thing is certain - 3Corps is an action-oriented series.

Having read it, having enjoyed it, and having digested it, as I sit here just flipping the pages of issue number one back and forth, in order to give it an additional once over, I find myself coming to the same conclusion already previously reached.

Namely, that the weakest link in this chain is the coloring.

Uh...What happened to the teeth?

Not because it is terrible, because it isn't. And not because it isn't goof, anywhere, because there are instances where the color is pretty doggone good, in my considered opinion.

But, that said and conceded, when considered in its sum totality, the coloring suffers from a thing that I call consistency. It is not all of the same quality, color-wise.

Nonetheless, it is a comic book that can be enjoyed, and the colorist clearly made an effort to stoke this issue with energy. But, the implementation did not live up to the concept, unfortunately.

A panel portion that visually undersells this comic book.

Visually, it is the lettering that saves this issue. It has competent lettering, all of the way through it. The special effects lettering, on the other hand, is a mixed bag.

Solid lettering example!

The primary point of special effects lettering is to inject visual impact into a scene. There's certainly a variety of different special effects lettering instances on display. Yet, the coloring of them is sub-part, in instances, and none of them really seem to get the job done. They are visual eyesores as often as they are anything else.

I want to like them. I really do. But, ultimately, they let me down. They deflate what I feel, as I make my way through the pages of this story. Rather than save the visual day, the special effects lettering betrayed me, time and time again. Where special effects lettering is concerned, issue one of 3Corps is the issue that could have been.

Straight as a line, yet visually bland and creatively unimaginative.

Overall, the issue implements speech bubbles well. Some feel a bit cramped, whereas some others feel underpowered by the lettering that they encase. But, even still, it's a commendable job of lettering this comic book.

Max is getting fed up.

The artwork, itself, ranks as imaginative, but it is hindered by the coloring. Overall, the artist makes good use of white space on the panels. On this level of consideration, 3Corps issue one is a credit to the independent comic book community.

But, such a pity, it is, that the artist and the colorist could not collectively get this issue to where it needed to be, visually, that justice to this title could be properly done.

So, when all of the visual eye candy is expended, where does the reader find himself or herself? Back at the story, itself. And there is a good place to be.

I love this - but, not the rest.

I liked the story. I enjoyed it. When I finished issue one, I wanted to read issue two. Regardless of how it happened or why it happened, it happened. That, to me, is success.

Now, I may not speak glowingly about it, but if I read your comic book, and after doing so, I still want to read what comes next, then you have clearly done something right. That's a far better situation to be in than if the reader puts your work down unfinished, or if the reader actively seeks to avoid reading your next offering.

The character Gabriel gets off to a strong start. You quickly get the sense that Gabriel is a villain - but, as the pages get turned, I found myself wondering.

More good lettering, nice speech bubbles.

Then, there's Max. I'm still trying to decide what I think about Max. He's powerful, but he also comes across as weak. That's a consideration of his super powers. As a character, he's under-developed, but at only one issue in, it's forgivable.

My personal favorite character that lurks within the pages of issue number one is the colonel. While he wears more stars on his uniform than most generals, even still, he is a colonel.

But, that's a small nit to pick with a character that I quickly found a literary attachment to.

Very nice image of the Colonel.

The attachment came about, because I found the colonel to be interesting. He's well drawn. He's well presented. He's is blessed with interesting dialogue. In a nutshell, he has his ways.

Now, how a comic book with super powered individuals in it manages to present the least physically gifted character as its most interesting is side issue unto itself. But, to me, that's exactly what happened.

Gabriel and Max engage in epic battle. It's a shame that it couldn't have better captured through art and coloring, but that's what happens, sometimes. Not every comic book is an opus of note.

I will say this about Gabriel - He's committed. He knows how to kick ass, and he's not one to be played for a fool. He's more sufferable than certain plot lines. Yet, how much ground can one issue cover, particularly if that one issue is issue one?

A commanding presence.

Sometimes, though, a comic book is best judged upon how it feels, rather than upon how it looks. I think that that is the case, here.

Stepping from issue number one of 3Corps to issue number two yields a major upgrade in both the art and the coloring. But, my comments about issue two are best reserved for another day.

For the moment, the spotlight remains squarely upon issue number one of 3Corps.

It's a story that I feel is worth taking the time to read, but more importantly, it is a work that sets the stage for greater things to follow.

Visually stiff. Blah!

I'm not going to say that I am a fan of the bright yellow narrative boxes, because I'm not. There's just so much bright color on display throughout the pages of issue one that it amounts to an exercise in visual overkill.

But, it's the kind of overkill that kills my visual interest, because it draws the eye away from the art. It feels less like narration than boxes striving to compete with objects of far greater visual interesting, and having no chance. The reader can find them, without them being presented, thus.

It is not contrast that these bright yellow creatures fail, but rather, they fail on the ground of aesthetics. Granted, sometimes, it's just a hard call. At some point, you have to make a call, as far as what to go with, and then you implement it. But, if you're going to go that route, then at least make the lettering large enough to enable the reader to avert squinting. Yes, comic books in digital format are easily zoomed in upon, but if the reader feels compelled to do that, then you've already made two mistakes - one in production and one in marketing.

This page looks like crap!

Here, it was the wrong visual call. It's not the worst thing about the comic book, but likewise, it's certainly not one of the best things about it, either. Then again, as with many things in life, reasonable people can come to different conclusions, where such is concerned.

One lesson about the creation of a comic book, and about the crafting of the pages that collectively comprise the entire work, that Top Secret Press can learn from its production that is Issue # 1 of 3Corps is that even the credits page matters.

To their good credit, they actually have already learned this lesson, it seems, if Issue # 2 of 3Corps is any indicator. I know, because I have already seen issue two, and I have already compared the credits page in it with the credits page that issue one was saddled with.

Granted, the credits page doesn't really impact the story, itself. What it does do, though, is to directly impact the perception of quality that the reader will associate with the end product. If I noticed it, odds are, others will, also.

Who needs a head when you've got special effects lettering? Off-center in more than one way.

And, if they are merely flipping through issue one, and they cast their eyes upon the credits page, then the temptation to judge the comic book before reading it rears its ugly head, to the detriment of both 3Corps and Top Secret Press.

There's a reason he's my favorite character.

I like visual engagement. I enjoy comic book entertainment. As comic books go, this one makes missteps along the way, but somehow manages to get me - the reader - to where it needed me to go.

Accordingly, I'm recommending it, even as I chew its ass for its shortcomings. I do so, with a clear conscience, and with the knowledge that issue two of 3Corps has already made progress in moving this comic book series forward, by getting it on more solid ground along a number of different fronts - including both the coloring and the art.

The Colonel is listening, but is Top Secret Press?

Ironically enough, 3Corps wasn't the comic book title that tempted me to make the plunge, and give Top Secret Press' comic book products a try. That honor belongs to another comic book, one titled, "The Strange."

My God, man! Read 3Corps!

But, sometimes, it's strange, indeed, how things turn out. For right now, though, I'm going on record as waiting for issue number three of 3Corps. I encourage you to give the series, 3Corps, a try.

Trust me - There's a LOT worse comic books out there than 3Corps.

Maybe that's just another reason why 3Corps was brought into existence in the first place. It's a comic book with a mission - a mission with a few casualties along the way to be expected.


3Corps - Issue # 1
Publisher: Top Secret Press
Writer: John Daniel Taylor IV
Artist & Inker: Samir Samao
Colorist: Jay Moyano
Lettering: Inklight Studios
Editing: John Daniel Taylor IV & Francesca Henle-Taylor