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Excellence #10
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Aritst: Khary Randolph
Colors: Emilio Lopez
Letters: Deron Bennett
Cover: Khary Randolph

The creative team has made sure this series lives up to its namesake as they hit the ground running after the lengthy break between issues. Spencer Dales is still on the run while he and his crew are raging against the oppressive systems put in place that essentially strip the magic out of being a magic wielder. And thanks to Thomas, it’s an adventure that’s been layered in rich storytelling with more range than Prince. He starts this issue of with a chase sequence taking place during an emotional conversation between Spencer and his mother. It’s one of the rawest interactions and another reason why she’s been a favorite of mine since the first story arc. The amount of love and inspiration Thomas pours into her words as she guides her son is a true highlight of the story. It’s a sequence that you may have seen in comics before but when the characters look like you and the lines are delivered organically by someone who looks like you it hits completely different.

I’m not sure if Randolph and Lopez are just showing off or merely pushing their skills to the next level but they are truly phenomenal at their craft. Their visual storytelling is on point every single issue as they continuously make it a point to make you say “Damn!” with each turn of the page. The chase sequence with characters I’ve named “Moe Dee” and “Melle Mel” due to their resemblance to the legendary MCs is a wonderful display of motion, power, and the abilities that Spencer possesses. But just when you thought things couldn’t get better they hit you with the best splash page in the issue where Raymond Dales lays a beat down of unprecedented magnificence. What makes it better is the body’s double bounce and the cool, unbothered look on Raymond’s face after landing that hit while simultaneously adding the exclamation point to the cover. Also, the subtle use of white spaces to break up the panels and then the switch to the black bars towards the end really give the last half of the story a darker feel and more weight to the narrative.

Excellence is a breath of fresh air from the capes and tights books as it continuously pushes boundaries and delivers with rich storytelling and some of the best art in comics today. There’s a reason why this creative team was chosen by the readers in the Top 5 of 2020 Fan Poll and if you’re not reading then I’d suggest you change that immediately.

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net