Voodoo and conspiracy mix with real-life police brutality and political scandals in The Festering Season.
Randy:
It seems like the number of original graphic novels are increasing, and more self-publishers are getting into that game. It also seems like more and more of them are going the color rather than black and white route, and Kevin Tinsley and the rest of the gang at Stickman Graphics are no exception, except that they're using duotone color instead of a four color project. That's hardly the only unique thing about this unusual graphic novel, though.
Don:
This is a dense read, but that's because it's an intelligent, complex one. Culture clashes and race relations, politics and the supernatural... they all collide in this dark tale of an urban melting pot that's begun to boil over and burn those close by.
The Festering Season
published by Stickman Graphics
written and colored by Kevin Tinsley
illustrated by Tim Smith 3
edited by Deborah S. Creighton
Don:
In a city plagued by police corruption and apathy, by strained cultural relations and a massive heat wave, strange circumstances and crime are beginning to go hand in hand. Some blame the establishment. Some blame the practitioners of less mainstream religions while others point the finger at organized crime. But the real blight on the city is none of the above, but in some ways, it is all of them as well. A new kind of crime boss is arising in New York City, and it will take a young vodou apprentice and her friends to stop him.
Randy:
The Festering Season is not, as I had first suspected, merely a horror-action comic. Instead, it is a tale of real-world politics and race relations, told through allegorical recollections of certain big events in New York City and blended into a more fantastic tale of a crimelord seeking dominion over the city through magical means. It's an odd comparison to be sure, but Festering Season reminds me of what you might get if you crossed a more serious version of Ghostbusters with the politically aware and highly critical Channel Zero.
Don:
What struck me most about this script is its anger. Tinsley has cleared built his plot around the nastier side of New York City's past, and I'm not talking about the attack on the World Trade Center. In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, it's become remarkably easy for us to forget about the sociological and political blemishes that characterized the city in the world's eyes. I think it's great that police officers and other emergency-response professionals are now held in high regard, but Tinsley reminds us how easy it is for the power we've entrusted them with to corrupt.
Randy:
I was surprised and pleased by the complexity of The Festering Season. Tinsley weaves together a story of a young girl whose mother is murdered, some semi-corrupt cops, the sister of a murdered activist, a cult consultant for the NYPD, a religous preacher along the lines of Al Sharpton and several others in a series of dominoes that topple upon one another as they reveal the larger plot. Though I had guessed the distribution method of the "zombie dust" thanks to Tinsley's foreshadowing, I never found his work too heavy-handed about clueing in the reader, and on the flipside he manages to keep the complexity clear and accessible. The Festering Season is no light read, it is full of twists and turns and conflicting motivations, and these 227 pages will keep you engrossed for quite some time.
Don:
Complex is a good word to describe this book, and its complexities have required Tinsley to offer up a wordy script. This is a dense, slow read, something to absorb in several sittings. It's both a strength and weakness of the book. Though I was interested in the overall narrative, I had to occasionally set it down and step away from it for a bit. The array of plotlines and characters can be dizzying at times.
Randy:
There were plenty of surprises awaiting me within the pages of The Festering Season. Another of them was seeing the color process used on the book, which is unusual and very attractive. There was a press release along with the book that let us in on the secrets of the color process and how it is affordable, but it boils down to using a two-color instead of four-color process. The result is artwork heavy on orange and brown, but very capable in conveying the colors and tone of the book.
Don:
You seem impressed with this different take on the coloring process, but it didn't work for me in this instance. The book is bathed in browns and orange tones, and it brings a warmth to the book that works against the storytelling at times. I never really got a clear sense of nighttime at any point. The brighter look conflicted at times with the darker plot elements and atmosphere.
Randy:
The artist on the book is Tim Smith 3 (I'm not sure if that's an affectation, an indication of Jr./Sr. status or if he's the third in a series of art-creating robots, but the name does stick out in your mind) and his work is pretty effective. While I could have wished for a little more distinguishing features between some of the characters, especially in a cast this large, he does an impressive job of conveying the size and scope of the city and the story, and his work has elements of manga influence and a simple, clean line. It reminds me in places of Adam Warren, Humberto Ramos and Ale Garza, but the artist it most resembles is Arthur Dela Cruz of Kissing Chaos, with the same simple but effective character designs.
Don:
I was immediately put in mind of Dela Cruz's style as well, and to a lesser extent, Brett (Shot Callerz, The B-Sides) Weldele. The sketchy quality of his style -- which is also clearly inspired in part by manga -- suits the gritty, urban tone of the story quite well.
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