With Rebellion deciding to release certain series digitally it gives me time to revisit the selected few. One of those is Revere. I will be honest, and it is one of those series which I frankly cannot remember anything about. I am not a big fan of Simon Harrison work and thus never read it with any vigour. With my original collection gone I lost the opportunity to read it as an adult. I decided I will read it with an open mind. So here are my views:
At the end it is weird, wacky, dystopian, surreal johnsmitheen tale. Maybe one of my earlier problems was more related to a lost in translation. I always preferred the more straight-forward action-oriented stories and this was a different beast. My final conclusion is that I can recommend this, and I did enjoy it the second time around. If you like John Smith's work get this; if you are a Simon Harrison fan, then get this. The art I found much better than I can remember. The colour schema used by Simon suites his work rather than his strong B/W ink-work.
I'm tempted by this one the basis I wonder how well the art will be served by digital reproduction. Suspect it will pop much more than the original comic - though its getting a reprint in the Ultimate Collection isn't it so might try that one.
ANYWAY - its a great story and while John Smith had given us early Tyranny Rex and early Indigo Prime it was Duex Ex Machina and Revere that really show cased him as the writer he would become and make the stories pop as much as Simon Harrison's art. Love this one.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 13 February, 2021, 09:51:48 AM
I'm tempted by this one the basis I wonder how well the art will be served by digital reproduction. Suspect it will pop much more than the original comic - though its getting a reprint in the Ultimate Collection isn't it so might try that one.
Yep it's part of the 2nd extension so post Issue 111 which means it's a year or more off.
One thing that is interesting is that with the digital the art especially on my iPad did stood out is that Book 3 is much more clearer and brighter than the rest of the collection.
I haven't read Revere in years but my memory of it is that typically of John Smith's work it stopped making sense after the first episode. It did have the beautiful moment when Revere jumped off a roof apparently to his death.. I've read it more than once and it still it doesn't make sense but the artwork is too notch.
I can haz mini-summarized it (https://2kstages.github.io/index.html), like so [and SPOILERZ, natch]:
Revere: Finder's Edge
In a future London, global warming has turned England into a baking desert, and Revere stalks the ruins: a boy with mystical powers and a floating-head zombie mum. Then it gets weirder.
Revere: Written in Water
In Book I, Revere was the witch-boy, battling against totalitarian forces using magical powers and sharp things: but then he went on a serious trip involving bizarre god-beings. This time around, his family (which includes his mum as a floating head capable of doing a great flamethrower impersonation) are attacked by the soldiers, and Revere finds some time to go on a hot date before seeking vengeance on the thugs. I'm not sure what the deal is with evil demon-folk stealing his girlfriend, but maybe that'll get sewn up next time (assuming he isn't dead, because he jumps off a building at the end).
Revere: Book III
In some crazy world of future myth, Revere, the Witch-Boy of London, has leapt to his death but been transported to a spirit world, which eventually leads to some sort of cosmic rapture.
How it read in weekly installments I can only imagine, but my first encounter was the old Extreme Edition. I read one book at a sitting over three days, and it wasn't nearly as incomprehensible as some folk make out - well, not until the third book, anyway!
Harrison's art is great in colour, too - much more legible than in monochrome.