Lev Gleason Presents #2

Lev Gleason Presents #2

!Comic House 2021

"The Greatest Name in Comics" Daredevil: Season 1 Issue 1 by Kenny Porter and Iñaki Azpiazu;

Freelance: Season 2 Issue 2 by Andrew Wheeler and Juan Samu;

Canuck Beyond: Season 1 Issue 3 by Adrien Benson and Esteban Calvi;

Plus a classic archive adventure featuring the Golden Age Daredevil! Each Mega Sized Issue contains a new #1 issue as well as at least two new 20-page stories continuing from the Comic House shared universe!

Well it’s a double dose this week with both issues one and two being released on the same day. While I was kind of upset that the Silver Streak wasn’t back this issue the replacement with Daredevil makes up for it. Though I want more Silver Streak now and while I was expecting to see the entire arc before moving onto the next we’ll see how the switch up goes and how many are in the rotation. Again I am just as impressed with this issue as I am with the first one and how it comes across with the storytelling. It is a great way to do an anthology series and it just works so well with this format in my opinion.

I love the way that these are being told. The story & plot development that we see throughout is amazing thanks to how we see the sequence of events unfolding as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter. The pacing throughout is superb and I’m really impressed with how each story flows into the next one and how the book as a whole really does this justice.

The way these are structured and how the layers within the stories continue to grow, evolve and strengthen is fantastic. The layers with their characterisation and plot twists really work the advantage of the writers and showing how to add depth, dimension and complexity to the stories. How everything works together to create the stories ebb & flow as well as how it moves the stories forward is achieved is sublime.

Each art team here has their own unique looks to them. Each have their great qualities and their negative aspects but I do really enjoy how we see such a variety of styles. The linework is nicely laid out and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail work we see is great. Personally I think the Canuck story is the most interesting visually and the creativity and imagination that we see here is mindbogglingly brilliant and it’s just a complete pleasure to see. The colour work is nicely rendered as well. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is extremely nice to see.

I do wonder why this Major Carver looks like a pinup girl though that seems a bit off to me. Regardless, I have to say learning what we do of Freelance this issue makes me want to know more about him. I love the world that Canuck Beyond is in it’s got that dark fantasy romance feel about that make for the best storytelling. I’m excited for this Daredevil as well being in Australia because it’s different, unusual and daring. Speaking of, the old school Daredevil story is again a testament to what started the industry and how the art has evolved yet remains the same in so many aspects. The people and the realism in them is what drives the story and while liberties are taken it doesn’t change the fact that this is what set the stage for what we see today.

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Brilliant anthology series folks. This is how you really redefine this type of series with some solid longer length stories and bringing an old school story to showcase how the industry got to where it is today. This is something you need to be reading folks you will love the diversity and amazing displays of talent.