Comics
Review: ‘Next Testament’ #6
Never missing a beat, “Next Testament” #6 is pure adrenaline rush from start to finish. In another standout installment, readers should be prepared for some unexpected twists and turns. A true lesson in terror, horror fans should not be missing out on the “Next Testament” series.
WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Mark Miller
ART BY: Haemi Jang
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Dec. 18, 2013
After taking on the fakers and posers of Hollywood, the powerful entity known as Wick has set his sights on the people of San Francisco. Always sticking by his side, billionaire Julian Demond watches as a horde of believers swarm over Wick’s feet. While Julian watches Wick preach his unholy sermon, another diabolical homily is taking place in Arkansas. Tristan, Julian’s son, and his fiancée, Elspeth, have been taken hostage by a group of religious fanatics. Pastor Sam Calhoun wants the young lovers to be hanged for their blasphemy against Wick. If they ever want to make it out alive, Tristan and Elspeth have to stand together against Pastor Calhoun and his army of fanatics.
Clive Barker and co-writer, Mark Miller, jump back and forth between the two subplots, elevating the tension and suspense to a crescendo. Because the two storylines aren’t competing against each other, I’m emotionally invested in what happens next to the protagonists and antagonists. Never boring for a second, the young lovers make desperate moves as they try to escape from the maniacal pastor. There is so much dramatic spontaneity to Wick’s dialogue as he preaches a sermon to his believers and nonbelievers.
What I really enjoyed about the narrative is how the writers deliver Wick’s wild mood swings. In one moment, Wick turns a nonbeliever to salt just to prove that he can. In the next, Wick turns deadly serious as he answers questions about the Devil. When Wick makes a point, he laughs hysterically while the rest of his followers, including Julian, shudder in fear.
Artist Haemi Jang gets a chance to illustrate Elspeth as more than the love interest, the quirky girlfriend, and occasional comic relief. Using low and crooked angles, we get to see Elspeth spring into action when Tristan is beaten down by Pastor Calhoun’s followers. Tristan is the damsel-in-distress as Elspeth grabs a gun from one of the police officers. Jang delivers an exciting action sequence that will definitely get the heart racing.
Jang does a terrific job with the facial expressions of the crowd surrounding Wick. In little details, Jang draws different reactions of the crowd, as if they are afraid and in awe of Wick at the same time. In his close-ups, Wick always seems to be having fun while lecturing the frightened mob. More of a showman than preacher, Wick wants to be loved and feared as he answers random questions from the pedestrians.
Ambitiously epic, “Next Testament” #6 leaves readers wanting more after a shocking cliff-hanger. Because each of the first six issues have been a home run, I can’t wait to read what happens in the next half of the “Next Testament” series.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
IDW Dark and Paramount recently joined forces to launch limited comic book tales set in the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place, and we’ve learned today that they’ll continue hanging around in those franchise universes with two brand new limited series tales.
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively revealed this afternoon that IDW Dark’s Any Given Smile debuts in September, while A Quiet Place: Rising Tides arrives in November.
First up, from writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo Collar, Any Given Smile puts a football-themed twist on Parker Finn’s successful Smile movie franchise.
The five-part limited series is “set in January 1995, during the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The rising superstar of the Sharks, backup quarterback Dupree, is feeling the pressure from his teammates, the fans, and also the city’s gambling underworld, to whom he owes a considerable debt. Meanwhile, a sports journalist investigates a string of suicides that may be connected to the big game. At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.”
From writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides will also be a five-issue limited story. The comic book tale “brings the creatures to the Florida Keys, where a father-daughter duo attempt to survive on water in a houseboat.”
EW further details, “This tense family reunion coincides with the arrival of the vicious creatures that hunt through sound. Grace and her dad find safety on the open ocean, but she’ll have to make landfall sooner or later; the father’s oxygen tank and their supplies are running low, while a hurricane swiftly approaches.”
Learn more about both comic books over on Entertainment Weekly.
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