Reviews
REVIEW: Calzer’s Clock
Written by Drew D. Lenhart
Pencils/Inks by Armando C. Rillo Sr.
Cover colors by Jasen Smith
Calzer’s Clock #1 is a BLACK and WHITE book coming in at 28 pages.
FULL DISCLOSURE: The Indie Comix Dispatch is partnering with Snowy Works LLC on Tales from the Dispatch. That relationship did not affect the outcome of this review.
Description: A tale from the future! A man visiting Mexico City with his wife finds an old-time clock shop. He meets Calzer, a lonely shop owner and clock repairman who tries to sell him a unique clock. Is this an ordinary clock, or land our character in instant peril?
If you enjoy science fiction, horror, and macabre tales, then you will like this!
This book is very much a homage to the 1970’s Marvel comics, which should be present in the cover, artwork, and even the fake advertisements!
Story
.75-stars
Lenhart’s story hits exactly where he wants it to. I felt like I was reading a 60s-70s horror-sci-fi tale or watching an episode of The Outer Limits. We start in the future in Mexico City in the middle of a high smog alert. Our unnamed main character is traversing the city in the thick smog guided by his AI, Lexi. Our protagonist is searching for a gift, a clock, for his anthropologist wife, which leads him to Calzer’s Clocks, the only click store in Mexico City. Here is where the story begins to turn.
I won’t spoil the twists and turns from this point, but suffice to say, you likely won’t guess where this story is going until the final pages! The story is well-executed and rings with that nostalgic vibe that I love!
Art
1-star
The art, again, hits you with that nostalgic vibe. Lenhart states it is a throwback to the 70’s marvel comics, but for me, it hit closer to EC Comics sci-fi and horror anthologies. However you interpret the art, I’m sure you’ll find it complements the story perfectly.
Dialogue
1-star
The dialogue between our protagonist and Calzer is perfect! Though the story is set in the future, the dialogue again builds that nostalgic feeling that the story is just oozing with. Rather quickly, we get a picture painted of who our protagonist is and his general attitude based solely on his dialogue.
Calzer’s character also quickly emerges through his dialogue with the protagonist. There’s a franticness to Calzer’s speech from the start that foreshadows his future actions.
Though a minor part, Lexi’s dialogue is also fun and adds insight to the story.
Editing
1-star
I found zero issues in editing.
Mechanics
.75-stars
Mechanics were well-executed also, with only a couple minor blips. In the shop scene, there were a couple of word bubbles that seemed to repeat or be out of place, this may have just been adding to Calzer’s character, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Other than that, the story was well told and constructed on the page flawlessly.
Calzer’s Clock is another wonderful addition to the books coming from Snowy Works. You can get it in digital now at https://snowyworks.com or sponsor a print copy on Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/snowyworks/snowyworks-one-shot-bundle-comics
