Blog

Excellence #8
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Aritst: Khary Randolph
Colors: Emilio Lopez
Letters: Deron Bennett
Cover: Khary Randolph

Right on the heels of last issue where we met the fashionably dressed and takes-no-mess Daquan Hill, Brandon Thomas hits you with the one-two combo that takes this story to another level in the latest chapter in the Excellence saga!

Thomas has led us down several paths with this story and just when you think you’ve got a hold on things he flips the narrative and leaves your jaw on the floor. This issue in particular sheds a light in the dark corners of Spencer’s plans to overthrow the Aegis and just how far he’s prepared to go. A story told through the interrogation of Spencer by Daquan we see just how much Spencer is ignorant of as Daquan pushes him for the truth. Their back and forth is filled with tense dialogue and great pacing between the two as they verbally spar with one another. Thomas also shows the real power behind those influential magic wielding families and as a Black man it spoke to me on various levels. And though there were hints of this in previous issues it was still a gut punch to see this play out and to speculate what this may mean in the future.

If you’re tired of seeing me praise this art team’s work just grab a pillow and blanket because it’s not stopping any time soon. Once again the visual cool of Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez takes the written word to great heights as the events play out here. Randolph’s character designs bring an energy to the story that is nothing short of eye pleasing. The action is in-your-face with the exaggerated limbs and great use of space and perspective. Then when he needs to tone it down he nails the character expressions and intensity that gives some more weight to the narrative. Like his entrance of Daquan Hill. A character that you might not like but the brother is just smooth in his suit and snake shaped cane as he walks in the room KNOWING he’s the man! Lopez’s colors are always a joy to see and it’s here where things get really interesting as he enhances the visual storytelling. Adding the perfect pallet which bring out the emotions needed to push those panels from good to great. There’s also a noticeable shift in the look of the book during the sequence at The Ancestry that makes it stand out from the rest of the story. It’s a great visual cue that pops and adds that little something extra to Thomas’ dialogue. The energy and style these two bring to any narrative

So with this latest issue of Excellence comes another example of great world-building and character development from a creative team that’s been on fire since the first issue. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest adding Excellence to your read pile and get in on the action.

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net