Rogue #4

Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2000
By: Darren

Cover of Rogue #4 Creator(s): Various
Publishers: NZ Cartoonists' Collective
From: New Zealand
Price: ?

This anthology collects together the work of a dozen kiwi comic creators in a patchy mix of pieces. Martin Malloy puts a lot of effort into "Kiss the Fist of Righteous Justice", a densely illustrated study in the use of diagrams to replace text. It's nicely drawn, but there is so much going on with an abundance of graphic elements that the simple plot gets overwhelmed.

The adoption of the Maori legend of "Maui Tames the Sun" by Jason Winter benefits from his usual detailed artwork, with great attention being paid to display his skill at drawing in three-dimensions, though the script is rather stilted. Word has it that Jason is soon to leave our shores and train at the Disney studios in Australia. It is good to see that the effort he has put into his drawing looks to be paying off.

Regular contributor Tony Scanlan adds a one page gag in his finely crafted cartoon style, and Jamie Laurie's continuing private eye/Sci-Fi tale progresses in a rather workman like fashion.

The artwork is the focus of the stories in this issue, with the plot and writing leaving something to be desired. Only the one page of Steve Saville's Earthwrath II has dialogue that suggests that there is more going on in the narritives of the comics included in this anthology than what the pictures portray.

In a Word: Patchy.



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