Crime-fighter, The Gloom, dispenses double barrelled justice out on dark nights. Now he’s after the biggest criminals of them all, the Nazi Party.
Presentation:
Glossy paper and standard comics size. High production quality as we’ve come to expect from APComics.
Where to buy it:
APComics are beginning to creep into comics retailers and you should be able to ask your retailer to order it for you. Failing that you can get this comic direct from the publisher at the above website.
Audience:
The audience that The Gloom is intended for is undoubtedly, early to mid teenage.
The comic looks at the world in a black and white way and draws an obvious distinction between the “goodies” and the “baddies”. The jokes are unsophisticated by adult standards (well…some adults) and can be rude while being careful not to overstep the mark and go beyond what is suitable for the audience.
Artwork:
I found the artwork very innovative and likeable. It is bright, colourful and interesting and depicts the action well. The art is comprised of a lot of simple, confident lines which in some parts is a little reminiscent of the artwork of Jamie Hewlett
Additionally, the artist has used a lot of computer enhancement to augment the inkwork, for example, in the eyes of The Gloom, and this is done well and not overused, which is a common problem in some post-computer revolution comics.
Overall, the artwork is pleasant to look at and very affable. Like all APComics, it has a lot of shine and polish overlaid onto it.
Writing:
The good quality artwork is paired off with good quality writing. It is a very capable example of comics writing and there is nothing to put you off the action. The pacing is perfect and the plot is gripping, although a little black and white and simplistic for my tastes.
Stylistically, the writing seems influenced by a mixture of Errol Flynn movies and film noir. Character dialogue is a little melodramatic, if not cheesy, but this is not too noticeable because it fits in with the swashbuckling style of the comic.
The dark shadowy figure hunting criminals at night with an array of awesome technology is all too common in comics. There is a certain charm about the unashamed way they have tackled this fact, by throwing in as many clichés and familiar comics/movie ideas as is humanly possible in the vague hope that it will all fuse together and make a new comic idea, and in a way I think they have been successful in this….
Despite the reliance on old ideas, there is a feeling of newness and energy about the comic that draws you in and captivates you.
Overall:
The Gloom is a comic that is fit to its intended audience. It knows its job and does it very well. Ok, it’s not big or clever particularly, but then what did you expect? Chekov? Voltaire?
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