Writing: 3
Artwork: 4
Originality: 5
Overall rating: 4 - SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Innovative, stylish and in your face, Jonathan Hickman's debut opus The Nightly News is raising the bar and setting the new standard not just for indies, but for the entire comics industry!
Hickman's Lie Told in Six Parts spins a web of deceit and misinformation. A cult known as the Brotherhood of the Voice lead by the Hand wages war against the media for all of their sins. Their carefree attitude towards destroying families, ruining careers and responsibility for creating a pseudo mob justice, all in the name of getting the story, will not go unanswered for. No one is innocent and no one will be sparred.
Right from page one it's clear that Hickman has created something completely unique from anything else that's out there. His unconventional layouts for dialogue is a style all his own and the same can be said for his artwork, its graphic design backgrounds being a fresh breath from the usual penciled and inked art. However, there is a lack in detail in the artwork itself. While his limited color pallet purposefully creates a sense of uniformity throughout the series, that taken in hand with his stripped down style on original art leaves you wanting a little more.
What fills the void are Hickman's own "infographics", little sidebar tidbits of information based in the real world relevant to his story. And while the storyline is original and interesting, it is told in a complicated timeline that can be difficult to follow.
There is an overall sense of clutter throughout the read, but don't let that stop you! With praise shouting from all corners of the business, ranging from indie legend Brian K. Vaughn to mainstream superstar Brian Michael Bendis, you don't want to miss out on this title. This is the definition of avant-garde!