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REVIEW: Outwash Onslaught
4.07/5.0 Stars
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: R
Creative Team:
Story: 3.9 Stars
Artwork: 4.3 Stars
Cover Artwork: 4.6 Stars
Dialogue: 3.8 Stars
Mechanics: 3.8 Stars
Editing: 4.0 Stars
Ratings:
Creators/Writers: Braiden Cox and Chad Jernigan
Artist: Alexia Orozco
Letters: Billy Rollins
Cover Artist: Criss Madd
Cover Colors: Shawna Madd
Script Editor: Chuck Pineau
Publisher: Braydoxian Studios
About the Book:
Trevor Howl was a deep sea diver with a plan. He knew the location of a sunken treasure and had rounded up a crew to bring it back to the surface. They were going to be set for life… Until a series of betrayals left Trevor at the bottom of the ocean with a fatal knife wound. Unbeknownst to his attackers, the knife he was killed with was possessed by a demon that transferred itself to Trevor. The demon has stirred and it wants vengeance.
Reader’s Notes:
There are many things people love about attending comic-cons. The cosplay, the opportunity to meet the star from that franchise that are near and dear to your heart, the chance to meet the writer or artist of your favorite book, and finding that collectible that you have been trying to find for years at a reasonable price are just some of the high points.
My personal favorite is getting the opportunity to meet creators from small press publishers and learn about their projects. These projects cover the spectrum. From superheroes to spy thrillers to war stories to children’s books to horror there’s something for everyone.
There are also many great projects out there that it’s hard to stay on budget. Some of the elevator pitches help weed out the ones that aren’t necessarily your jam. Then there are the books you see that make you say, “Shut up and take my money”. This was my first thought when I saw Outwash Onslaught at Lilac City Comic-Con.
The artwork on the cover struck me as a deranged version of the Ghost of Captain Cutler from Scooby Doo. As Lord Trekker likes to point out, I’m drawn to books that have the most potential to take a strange turn (he uses other words, but in the spirit of keeping this G rated…).This book fit that bill to a tee. Without hearing a word from the creators, who signed the book for me, I had my wallet out and was saying, “How much?”
Outwash Onslaught was then put in the high priority part of my queue list, which meant it only took a month and a half to get to it. When I pulled it out of the stack only one question remained. Would the rest of the book be able to keep pace with the cover?
In a word, YES.
With Outwash Onslaught the reader gets a story that makes you ask questions on the very first page. These questions lead to intrigue which pulls us in deeper. The tempo is akin to riding the Knight Bus in Harry Potter. There are a couple spots where it slows down for a brief moment. Then we’re slammed into the back of our seats with more excitement.
How Trevor came to be possessed by the demon is not quite as clear as I would have liked. That nugget of information doesn’t affect the story’s ability to grab you. It does help the reader appreciate some of the finer details though.
I can’t say enough about Criss and Shawna Madd’s work on this cover. My youngest called it “creepy cool”. That translates to he loves it; but it’s terrifying. He’s not wrong. We get intricate details with crisp lines. The coloring brings it to life. This work is almost “Transformers Cool”.
Orozco‘s artwork on the interior pages doesn’t sit back and let the others bask in the glory. We get outstanding definition and shading. Staying on a gray scale makes the work gel with the story and sets an ominous tone.
As a geek on a budget I am all in on Outwash Onslaught. We get exceptional artwork to go with an exceptional story. I truly hope that the creative team gets the band back together for more in the near future.
You can get your copy of Outwash Onslaught at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/svr-01
