From illustrator and concept artist Richard Blake comes a stunning science fiction debut in Hexagon Bridge #1. This opening chapter pulls readers in with its beautiful visuals and stays compelling with its building mystery. Featuring a unique story and incredible artistic direction, Hexagon Bridge #1 is a must-read for lovers of speculative sci-fi.
“Explorers Jacob and Elena Armlen find themselves trapped in a strange parallel dimension of elusive landscapes and shifting architecture inhabited by mischievous entities. Now it’s up to their clairvoyant daughter Adley and sentient robot Staden to rescue them!”
Writing & Plot
Richard Blake throws readers into the deep end in Hexagon Bridge #1. Right from page one, Blake places us in the interdimensional rift – the titular “bridge” – and introduces the events that serve as catalyst to the rest of the plot. He makes a clever and bold decision to not divulge that info until the last third of the comic, where Adley and the rest of the cast is introduced. This is where we find out that Adley’s parents have been captured at different points on the bridge, and what the bridge itself actually is, as well as other rules for this science fiction world Blake has created. While we’re only with the cast for a short time here, everyone feels real and well-rounded. This is thanks to the dialogue being a mix of simplified techno-babble and naturalistic speech. Blake does a wonderful job of dropping readers into this established universe, and I can’t wait to see where the next issue takes us.
Art Direction
Richard Blake is an artist first and foremost, and that fact shines through here in Hexagon Bridge #1. His representations of dissolving, interdimensional settings are stunning and visually fascinating. Blake uses structural geometry in a way that is seldom seen in a full comic book. His work as a concept artist shines with how he draws architecture and robotic characters. Blake’s fine pencils coalesce into smoky, almost dreamlike panels during the opening sequences as dimensions fall apart. These artistic effects make Hexagon Bridge feel like something that could have been published in Heavy Metal magazine when it was still worth reading. For someone with no prior comics work (as far as I’ve been able to research), Blake nails the creation of this sci-fi mystery using visual storytelling. His sequential direction is cleverly divided between two types of panels: wide shots showing scenery, and smaller boxes when he focuses on characters. This naturally guides readers’ attention and creates both scale (for the big sci-fi stuff) and a sense of intimacy when it comes to the human characters. Blake’s use of color is nearly as fascinating as his penciling. He uses a loosely watercolor-style effect that adds to the strange, dreamlike aesthetic of the interdimensional sequences in the beginning. Cold blues and grays create a foreboding tone at one point, and in the next fiery oranges highlight the sort of ordered chaos going on as structures break apart. Blakes actual coloring approach doesn’t change in the latter pages, but the use of said color art aligns more naturally back in the “normal” world. He shifts to using realistic light and shadow in the last sequence of the issue, demonstrating how dynamic his color work is. Overall, Hexagon Bridge is a tour de force of stunning visual storytelling.
Verdict
Hexagon Bridge #1 is a unique and beautiful start to not only this series, but to Richard Blake’s comic career as a whole. His storytelling here holds back on info to build mystery and intrigue while giving readers just enough to get to know how this world works and who the main cast is. His visuals are stunning and sophisticated, with a stellar mix of geometric sci-fi design and moody, gorgeous color art. This is a fantastic debut, so be sure to grab it when it hits shelves on September 13th!
