Review: Spring Heeled Jack digital collection

Writer: Tony Deans

Art: Martha Laverick and Seth Kumpf

Letterer: Joshua Cozine

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Released: December 23rd 2015

So this is likely to be my last review before Christmas as its Eve is upon us and I've been looking at Spring-Heeled (referred to henceforth as SHJ) from Alterna Comics. Now you're likely to of heard of the myth of Spring Heeled Jack, the demon of London at some point in your life and this is a good twist on the character.

SHJ tells the tale of a series of brutal murders in Victorian London. A baffled police force turn to Arthur Conan Doyle for answers, and when he's equally stumped he requests the assistance of his mentor Joseph Bell, to uncover the truth. 

This is a detective, horror and mystery comic packed into 95 digital pages and it's a fun read. I did a receives of the final issue a while back so if you're interest in that head to http://retrogradereview.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/review-spring-heeled-jack-4.html?m=1

Otherwise stay with us for a brief look at the collection. This is a good comic, but sometimes the script spoils itself by giving away too much of the mystery, you feel that if it held a little back, it may captivate your attention a little more. Don't misinterpret that though, there's still plenty to keep you hooked for one sitting, but you just feel a little let down that much more could have been achieved. The artwork is solid and had its own esoteric charm, with it being largely consistent through the panels. Ordinarily I'm not a fan of when artist change mid series but here it's nice to see a different take on the characters.

As you may of guessed from the synopsis this book takes historical characters and subverts them for its own purpose, to give you an interesting version of each. The interplay between this characters is good and Deans shows a good understanding of dialogue. 

So, in summary, this is a good little book that is reasonably priced and hits the right targets that make comics enjoyable. Sure he script is a little trite in places, but on the whole that isn't distracting from the books quality overall. 

Review: Spring Heeled Jack #4

Writer/creator: Tony Deans

Art: Seth Kumpf and Lucas Duimstra

Letters: Joshua Cozine

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Released 28th October 2015 (digital)

Spring Heeled Jack is a nice little interpretation of the old legend. It's nice to see mythology explored and subverted to tell a story and when it's done well, it's very enjoyable. This issue sees the climax of Doyle and Bell's struggle against the demonic Spring Heeled Jack.

Now for me the climax does fall a little flat. The writing is a little trite in places and this makes the story roll awkwardly towards it's conclusion, rather than hurtle excitedly towards it. Don't get me wrong you still care about the character's plight and the issue captured my attention enough to read it in one sitting, but it just lacked that extra punch to really give you palpitations. Positively there is some snappy dialogue and a neat little twist on the last page, but I wish more had been made of Bell's metaphorical conflict with the underworld when he confronts Jack, it had so much potential that was only partly realised for me. 

The artwork is good, it isn't the most detailed of comics, but it's mainly solid work and it has that independent comic charm that I have come to enjoy. There is some inconsistency but not enough to distract you from its overall impact. There are points in the issue where more could of been made of the panel layout, that would of emphasised some of the drama, but again it didn't put me off, I still remained engrossed to the end. The colour work is good and the underground sections reflect the dank and murk well, again sometimes it's simplistic but it's part of its charm. 

Overall this is a neat little horror comic that has it's own thrills and charms. The script has its weaker moments, but they never made me lose interest, rather become a little exasperated over how it could be improved with a few tweaks. The art is independently charming and so it is a little esoteric and may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Remember that all reviews are subjective and really are a reflection of what we, as reviewers, feel when we pick up a book. So bear that in mind, I moderately enjoyed this issue but that doesn't mean you won't find it completely thrilling. There's a lot to be said of the strides independent publishing is making, so this issue is worth giving a go to support that at least. It will be available on comixology from 28th October. 

Again, if we must give numerical values, for me this would achieve 7/10.