COMIC BOOK REVIEW: MIDNIGHT MAN: BULLET TIME / AUTHOR: MO ALI / ARTIST: ANDY BLOOR / PUBLISHER: BAD MOTHER PUBLISHER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Midnight Man: Bullet Time tells the (first?) story of Midnight Man, a time-travelling vigilante who starts the story by crashing through a clock face on Big Ben pursued by a possessed horse. Oh, and the horse is a refugee from the American Civil War.
This gives some small sense of the forty pages of almost pure action that await the reader of this black and white tale from Bad Mother Publisher, which debuted at Thought Bubble 2014. It is the creation of Andy Bloor (Wolfmen) and Mo Ali (Dreamcatcher) and, on the strength of this, they are a duo worth keeping an eye on.
With a brand-new character and an unknown publisher, there is a need to grab the reader’s attention and keep them hooked. Ali and Bloor have done this with deed rather than word – it takes more than ten pages before we start to get any sense of what on earth is happening, if we are actually still on earth, that is!
The character of Midnight Man is an enigma in a smooth helmet covering his entire face. He seems human though has many powers, including a bullet time effect (think The Matrix). Whatever side he is on (and labels are almost a matter of perspective in many regards) he needs to cover the centuries in his pursuit of the so-called Chronosazi. He encounters many strange characters, a psychedelic trip through history and encounters in the deep jungles. All gripping stuff and the intensity only lifts once or twice in the narrative.
The artwork and dialogue intertwine seamlessly and, even though black and white, some scenes are so vivid in their presentation they could be colour. The simplicity of the inking gives the whole book a consistent look and feel all through, and the art has more light and shade than the main character allows in his approach to his destiny.
How long it may be until the next part, we don’t know – all we can say is get ready for some TEMPORAL. BULLET. ACTION.
SHARE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW OR ON TWITTER @STARBURST_MAG
Find your local STARBURST stockist HERE, or buy direct from us HERE. For our digital edition (available to read on your iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows 8, Samsung and/or Huawei device – all for just £1.99), visit MAGZTER DIGITAL NEWSSTAND.
CLICK TO BUY!
MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
