Twilight Guardian Pilot Season Full Review

[Juggling man]

Everyday life is stressful and we all have our coping mechanisms. Some people knit, others exercise, some people wear a mask and patrol their neighborhood in the name of justice.

Eisner award nominee Troy Hickman and artist Reza bring us "Twilight Guardian Pilot Season" published by Top Cow. It tells the story of a possibly insomniac comic book collecting young woman from Ohio who works at a dry cleaner's by day and fights crime by night. That is, if you consider parking in front of a fire hydrant a criminal offense. This is not your typical super hero comic. Nothing explodes, the world is not about to end and no one can fly. It's just one girl dealing with the isolation of real life. Hickman tells a tale that requires you to be alert to subtext and attentive to detail. For instance, the area that our hero patrols is located between Sandusky avenue and Aurora drive. Can you feel how those deliberately named streets, in conjunction with the subdued color palette and angular composition within panels ever so slightly nudge you into a nearly surreal world of twilight where reality is skewed and almost malleable? When the lead character says "I don't relish patrolling in the snow, but evil breeds in the cold." is she really just talking about winter? Is the cat just a cat or a metaphor? Yes it's all very complex stuff but it comes at you like a breath of brisk night air.

At first I was very amused at the quirky inner dialog and had myself a good sincere laugh or three. But then the other layers began to reveal themselves quietly and delicately. I believe that the key to this story is in the omission of details. This a story of what's missing. When introducing a supporting character Troy tends to keep them vague, not including obvious stuff but revealing their personalities through odd means. We don't even know the lead character's "civilian name". However, those purposeful gaps and the unsaid, when scrutinized, allow us to see the story more clearly and fully. And isn't that also true of real life?

The issue is very well executed but for minor errors. One panel seems to contradict it's caption. Despite great pencils, inks and colors there are one or two stray lines that seem "off". Nothing that negatively affects the reading experience, just nitpicks. If you like looking in the shadows and piercing the darkness for true meanings and motivations you will be greatly satisfied by this book. It's funny, it's quirky, it's poignant and endearing. I believe this sort of thing is commonly referred to as "a labor of love" and I give it an A+. I hope it becomes a series. The book is appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Twilight Guardian is part of Top Cow's 2008 pilot season. Six books get released and go up for vote in August. The two most popular books get a series. To vote for Twilight Guardian follow this link. http://www.myspace.com/pilotseason

That's my review. Time to go

[holeycrullers]

There is probably no better feeling when you're a comic writer than reading a review by someone who truly "gets it." Beautifully written critique, too. Thanks so much!

[Juggling man]

Wow! You are welcome. Love the quote from your Mom.