Yesterday my rather unhappy mood was suddenly brightened when I made it home after work by the sight of a package in my mailbox. I didn’t have to open it to know what it was. I’d been waiting for this to arrive for almost two weeks.
It was volume 6 of the graphic novel “The Molting†by Terrance Zdunich. It’s hard to believe that it was a year and a half ago that I read the first issue and was hooked. Since then I’ve eagerly awaited each issue and nabbed two copies each time, one for myself and one for my friend, Amanda. As each new issue makes it into my eager paws I have to revise which one might be my favorite. Chapter 6, “Allied Forces†might have just kicked its way to the top.
If you haven’t read this issue you might want to stop here until you do as there be spoilers ahead!
The size of the issue is what first caught my attention. Whoever said “size doesn’t matter†hasn’t read The Molting. This particular issue is filled with amazing art and coloring and a story that makes it to where I almost can’t wait to turn the page. I find myself fascinated by Susie’s constant swings back and forth between anger and a manic sort of glee. I’m also rather interested in the character, Abe, her husband who gets a bit more page time in this issue. I hope that we get to learn more about him in future issues.
Joseph, Susie and Abe’s youngest son, has an extremely expressive face for being a comic book character. It’s extremely clear just what he’s thinking during their scene with the court-appointed family counselor as well as in other scenes. (that one just happens to have a great line up with the fames that lets you compare his expressions alongside each other.) The final page has a true *facepalm* moment in which I performed that gesture in the solitude of my living room.
As it feels like it wasn’t that long since I had the fifth issue in my hands right after its release, I’m totally amazed that Terrance was able to produce such a hefty volume in that amount of time! He and his team get some serious kudos from me for their work on the speed, excellence and grittiness of this newest issue. And if you’ve never read any of the series, hop on over to his site and check it out. I promise each one is worth it.
If you have read the series, what do you think of it and this newest issue?
