Mountain Rex 2

Posted: Tuesday, August 29, 2006
By: Steve Saville

Cover of Mountain Rex 2 Creator(s): Daniel Bell
Publishers: Underfire Comics (Self Published)
From: UK
Price: £2(UK)

If I found the first instalment of Daniel Bells ongoing Sci Fi /Fantasy comic a less than totally fulfilling experience then you can understand how relieved I was to find #2 a far more satisfying experience.

By the time I had finished reading it I felt that the disunity present in #1 had all but disappeared and the uneven and often disruptive use of overt contrast had mellowed out to the stage where the comic had a definite brooding quality. This is particularly effective when one takes into account the brooding, sulking, petulant personalities of the three siblings who are the main characters. It is even more so in this edition because the naming of one of this evil brood as the successor to the throne is bound to generate even further animosity.

The cut and paste appearance of some of the panels still tends towards the obvious but overall this is a far more unified comic. The art work continues to improve with each page and there is a growing confidence and experimentation apparent as Bell continues to hone the feel of this comic. The scene where the armour is donned is the visual highlight of this latest instalment. The whole feel of the later pages is one of boldness and energy. It is starting to look pretty good for #3.

From a narrative point of view, the comic opens with a dream like dance sequence where the naked female provides much needed background that helps place the events of Mountain Rex #1 into a context. In particular the information surrounding the importance and development of the "skins" is detailed.

Whilst all the developments and changes are great further work on aspects such as the introduction of new characters will need to be considered if this volume is really going to take off.

In a Word: Angry.



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