Illustrated Girl #1 – Single Issue
Enigma Endeavors Productions
Writer/Creator: Jackson Compton
Illustrator/Inker: Natasha Alterici
Character Likeness: Sandra Pagan
Reviewer: Derrick T. Crow
Summary: Can you imagine waking up every morning with red marks all over your body, and the images of your dreams etched into your skin? What if said images were to come to life, summoned from your skin? These are the discoveries being made by our young hero, Sandra, who must learn to fight the evils living inside her – even though she’s only just a child and she’s running out of time...
Review: In the first issue we meet Sandra, a young girl who seems to have a seemingly ordinary life. Except every morning she awakes with red markings tattooed across her skin for a small amount of time. At first she seems to not realize that anything is wrong with her, until they continue to appear and her dreams – which have a connection to these markings – become more vivid and surreal. The story from there evolves into a sort of down the rabbit hole experience complete with Sandra looking like Alice from Wonderland for a few pages.
There seems to be an evil lurking somewhere within Sandra's skin, or her mind, that is reaching to get escape. What will happen if this evil escapes is anybody's guess at this point, but I will say I'm already intrigued to find out.
One thing that I wasn't expecting from this comic was the emphasis over silent panels (and even whole silent pages) instead of a bombardment of text. The dialogue, though, comes when it is welcome and leaves when it isn't needed. Compton allows the images to tell the story instead of providing unnecessary captions that explain what we can already see. That felt really fresh, and allowed me to enjoy the experience more.
The pacing isn't the greatest though, at times I had to ask myself how much time had been passing between the first marking incident and the end of the book. There are some points where the story shifts from one act to another without a proper bridge between events, causing for a slightly uneven read overall.
The book is still highly enjoyable though, the imagery Compton cooks up for Alterici to pencil is exquisite and really does feel like you're accompanying Sandra on her journies through the dreamscape and the dangers that lurk within. Speaking of pencils, Alterici does a wonderful job capturing the tone and edginess this story has too it. While her art style isn't of my personal taste, and a little too sketchy even for me, I do think it works well for the premise of this book.
Illustrated Girl is worth checking out, especially if you want something a little different, something a little horror, and something a little fun. For their first issue, Compton and Alterici make it feel like they know what they're doing, where they're going, and invite you to join the ride.
Final Score: 4 Ink Markings out of 5
Editor's Note: To stay up to date on all things Illustrated Girl, head on over to the title's Facebook page and give them a like!
Enigma Endeavors Productions
Writer/Creator: Jackson Compton
Illustrator/Inker: Natasha Alterici
Character Likeness: Sandra Pagan
Reviewer: Derrick T. Crow
Summary: Can you imagine waking up every morning with red marks all over your body, and the images of your dreams etched into your skin? What if said images were to come to life, summoned from your skin? These are the discoveries being made by our young hero, Sandra, who must learn to fight the evils living inside her – even though she’s only just a child and she’s running out of time...
Review: In the first issue we meet Sandra, a young girl who seems to have a seemingly ordinary life. Except every morning she awakes with red markings tattooed across her skin for a small amount of time. At first she seems to not realize that anything is wrong with her, until they continue to appear and her dreams – which have a connection to these markings – become more vivid and surreal. The story from there evolves into a sort of down the rabbit hole experience complete with Sandra looking like Alice from Wonderland for a few pages.
There seems to be an evil lurking somewhere within Sandra's skin, or her mind, that is reaching to get escape. What will happen if this evil escapes is anybody's guess at this point, but I will say I'm already intrigued to find out.
One thing that I wasn't expecting from this comic was the emphasis over silent panels (and even whole silent pages) instead of a bombardment of text. The dialogue, though, comes when it is welcome and leaves when it isn't needed. Compton allows the images to tell the story instead of providing unnecessary captions that explain what we can already see. That felt really fresh, and allowed me to enjoy the experience more.
The pacing isn't the greatest though, at times I had to ask myself how much time had been passing between the first marking incident and the end of the book. There are some points where the story shifts from one act to another without a proper bridge between events, causing for a slightly uneven read overall.
The book is still highly enjoyable though, the imagery Compton cooks up for Alterici to pencil is exquisite and really does feel like you're accompanying Sandra on her journies through the dreamscape and the dangers that lurk within. Speaking of pencils, Alterici does a wonderful job capturing the tone and edginess this story has too it. While her art style isn't of my personal taste, and a little too sketchy even for me, I do think it works well for the premise of this book.
Illustrated Girl is worth checking out, especially if you want something a little different, something a little horror, and something a little fun. For their first issue, Compton and Alterici make it feel like they know what they're doing, where they're going, and invite you to join the ride.
Final Score: 4 Ink Markings out of 5
Editor's Note: To stay up to date on all things Illustrated Girl, head on over to the title's Facebook page and give them a like!