The Box #1

The Box #1

Red5 Comics 2021

Written by Joshua Starnes

Illustrated by Raymond Estrada

Coloured by Steven Dellasalla

Lettered by Dave Lanphear

Leo Bloom is a private detective. His partner is a Box. A magic Box from which he can take whatever he can imagine … some of the time. But when he’s framed for the kidnapping of a prominent scholar Leo suspects a plot to take his prized possession from him. Can he find out before either the police or the Mafia find him?

See now I’m upset because apparently there’s a Previously, meaning this isn’t the first arc and I’ve missed out on that. Now I’m bummed but it does make sense with what I’ve read here that alludes to that. Personally it didn’t even phase my enjoyment of this which is great, meaning it is also new reader friendly. I’m fascinated by this story already because what Leo is able to do with this box is pretty amazing and absolutely terrifying. I love that something being utilised for its best intentions could turn out to be so much more than was bargained for and that the old adage “be careful what you wish for because you just might get it” comes into play, at least in my mind.

I am very much enjoying how this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continue to bring these characters to life with great personalities. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story we’re pulled into this incredibly well.

I am loving the way that this is being structured and how the layers within the story emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. The way that we see the layers and the avenues opening up and how they influence the direction which the story goes is fantastic. These different aspects all add depth, dimension and complexity to the story in some really strong and interesting ways. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved impeccably well.

The interiors here are bloody amazing and dynamic. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail work throughout the book is bloody brilliant! There is something about the style of the work we see that just grabs the readers’ mind, creativity and imagination in some truly wondrous ways. The fact we see backgrounds being utilised as they are to enhance and expand the moments makes me a happy camper. How we see them work within the composition of the panels to showcase the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is magnificently rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is also brilliantly rendered. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows the eye for someone who understands how colour works and how to maximise its effects.

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This is a great story and I love how it really plays upon the person who has the box and what they believe it's possible to do with it. The opening for this book has this great explanation as to what I attempted to say but you need to read it to fully grasp just how messed up and interesting the premise is regarding the box. With some rather genius writing and strong interesting characterisation alongside these phenomenal interiors will make you second guess everything you thought you knew in favour of the unexpected and unbelievable.