Vince Hunt & Daniel Marc Chant had already impressed on their Murder Road story in The Awesome Comics Podcast Anthology, so to hear they were working on something new was always going to be something I wanted to see….cue Blak.
It tells the story of a shadowy warrior known only as The Vassal and as he emerges from the very soil of Ebon, the kingdom he has sworn to protect, it’s clear that there’s an almost experimental feel to this collaboration. The world he finds himself is a stark & barren land to try and survive in on it’s own but there’s the added threat from the monsters that seem intent on making the Vassal their next target/victim/meal.
The warrior himself is a force of nature though and as he rips, tears & slashes his way to survival with every ounce of visceral strength he has, there’s a sense that he’s evolving with each step he takes. Whether that evolution is for the better or not is for the reader to judge I guess but the journey he goes on swiftly becomes an energetic and brutal one with enough surprises to make you feel that you’re not getting to the next page quick enough.
The steady pace from Daniel makes sure that this hits the ground running and then keeps on going and there’s a definite air of fun thrown into things as he throws everything he can think of at The Vassal. Vince matches that but it feels like there’s a tussle between story and art that matches the key points of the whole story and that tangible fluidity between them gifts us with an engaging story that helps highlight the option of trying something new that the indie world represents.
Over the top in places because of The Vassals sheer force of will but the single panelled pages make sure that there’s not an inch wasted and even with the blocks of black & white being used the world ends up being far more complete than was perhaps first expected. Brilliant & brutal in equal measure it’s well worth adding this one to a wants list and getting into your comic collection ASAP.
You can check out the majority of the story over on Blak the Comic Instagram page where it was first released or check in with Vince over on Twitter to see if he can send you a copy.
8/10
G-Man
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