Straight Forward Reviews : Fracture vol 2 # 4

The cerebral series Fracture returns with more clones and different personalities fighting clashing in life or death battles.

Writer - Shawn Gabborin

Artist - Chad Cicconi

Publisher - Action Lab Entertainment

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Story

Jeff's clone Virtue has gone haywire and seeks to kill Jeff. On top of this a villain that controls crocodiles is terrorizing lower Triton city. Any more summarizing would be criminal as this story is pretty dense.

The writing in this issue really shines. This series is all about a man's mental state and relationships with other characters. Of course there's still super heroics and it still has plenty of action. But, it really is more about the dialog rather than the action. With that in mind the characters have to sound like they're real people and fortunately enough they do. Despite it being a comic book with superheroes they sound and feel real. When they're not fighting. During the action scenes the dialog reads a bit too much like a Saturday morning cartoon which is a bit jarring compared to the rest of the dialog.

Art

The art does it's job. Objectively speaking the characters look good and so do the environments. Some bits of action looks like it could flow better. Subjectively it's not really my cup of tea but it's nowhere near bad, I didn't feel like it was a chore to look at it or anything that dire. Which goes to prove that the art truly isn't bad, the style can be something you don't care for but if it's still getting your attention and doesn't seem to set off any "that's just bad" alarms then it has to still be pretty good.

Verdict

Fracture is a unique series that's really standing out right now. This issue has a lot done right and some awkward moments. Which are mainly from the action parts of the comic feeling too much like a Saturday morning cartoon. But there's much more hits than there are misses and it's so unique that it should get looked at on that alone. The dialog and developments on Jeff's psyche are very intriguing. With that said I give Fracture vol 2 # 4 an 8.5 out of 10.

Action Lab Entertainment's New Releases for the week of April 23rd, 2014

ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT COMICS IN STORES THIS WEEK New Releases for the week of April 23rd, 2014 (If links do not open when clicked, copy and paste them into your favorite web browser.)    FRACTURE VOL.2 #4 (of 4) Writer(s): Shawn Gabborin Artist Name(s): Chad Cicconi (p/i), Bill Blankenship (c) Cover Artist(s): Chad Cicconi (p/i), Bill Blankenship (c) Steve Bryant In this climactic last installment of the newest arc of FRACTURE, the city of Triton is held hostage by the Society of Thorns and its minions, while Virtue fights Jeff for control of their shared existence. An unexpected ally joins the battle with disastrous consequences, leading to a final shocking twist. Variant cover by Steve Bryant (Athena Voltaire)! FC/ 32 pages / $2.99 standard /$3.99 Variant edition      RATED PG      GHOST TOWN Vol.1 TPB Writer(s): Ryan Lindsay, Dave Dwonch Artist Name(s): Daniel Logan, Justin Greenwood Cover Artist(s): Justin Greenwood  The unthinkable has happened. In the wake of time displaced  terrorist attacks on Baltimore and Las Vegas, Washington DC has been  evacuated. With the government uprooted, the abandoned Capital has  become a refuge for bandits, smugglers, hardened criminals and those  who have chosen to stay behind in this pre-apocalyptic Ghost Town. Collects the four issue series’ first arc. FC/ 116pages / $11.99      MATURE READERS         JACK HAMMER #3 (of 4) Writer(s): Brandon Barrows Artist Name(s): Ionic Cover Artist(s): Ionic  With the architect of Eddie Newman's death revealed, Jack goes on the offensive to  confront the mastermind pulling the strings of Boston's underworld and rescue Newman's kidnapped widow. He knows the who and the how, but the questions remain: why? And does he stand a chance? Variant cover by Des Taylor (The Trouble with Katie Rogers) FC/ 32 pages / $2.99 standard /$3.99 Variant edition     ALL AGES       SKYWARD VOLUME 2: STRANGE CREATURES TPB Writer(s): Jeremy Dale Artist Name(s): Jeremy Dale Cover Artist(s): Jeremy Dale  Jeremy Dale and Action Lab proudly present the second volume of the  runaway hit action-fantasy, Skyward! New, curious allies and strange, twisted enemies  emerge as Quinn runs headfirst into a conflict that's bigger than he ever dreamed  possible. Who will catch up to our young hero? Enter... The savage Rabites! Or will it  be Skerrigan who ends our hero's journey? Continuing the series that TMStash lauds as  "...Breathtaking. You won't be able to put this down!" Thrill to the fantastic storybook  adventure from Jeremy Dale (G.I. Joe, Marvel Kapow!), following the exciting tale of  Quinn and his dog, Jack-- left orphaned by an invasion of his homeland. Collects  Skyward #4-6, as well as the critically-acclaimed Halloween Comicfest 2013 short story,  "Into the Grim." FC/ 96 pages / $8.99      ALL AGES        VAMPLETS: THE UNDEAD PET SOCIETY                                               Writer(s): Gayle Middleton and Dave Dwonch Artist Name(s): Amada Coronado (p), David Dwonch (i) Bill Blankenship (c) Cover Artist(s): Amanda Coronado (a), Bill Blankenship (c)  The Legend of the Ghost Pony begins here in this terrifyingly sweet installment from  Hasbro designer/illustrator of My Little Pony Gayle Middleton! Ghost Ponies have been the harbingers of the weird for years. Whenever they appear, creatures near have disappeared, never to return. Where do they come from? What is their terrible secret? And what is the Ghost Pony’s connection to a vampyre baby named Lily Rose Shadowlyn? Find out in this all new adventure! Variant cover by Gayle Middleton herself. FC/ 32 pages / $3.99 standard /$4.99 Variant edition      ALL AGES

Straight Forward Reviews : Fracture Vol. 2 # 3

Action Lab continues Fracture's second volume. With twists and turns in the story and tensions heating up in Jeff's personal life just what can be expected this from this issue? Read on and find out.

Writer - Shawn Gabborin

Artist - Chad Cicconi

Publisher - Action Lab

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Story

This particular series is one that's easy to spoil so without trying to give too much away. Jeff's fracture clone Virtue seems to be going through a change. Virtue seems to have his own views on right and wrong and they seem to be quite different than what Jeff feels.

The comic started off with what seems like a Saturday morning cartoon battle between "the bad guys" and "the good guys" how wrong you are if you think that's all this comic would be, or even if you think that's all the battle at the beginning is. Within five pages the story takes a turn and you'll see how the comic veers from what it seemed to be at the beginning. It turns into something more complex and with quite a bit of character development.

Art

The art is alright. The lines are great but the colors could be more detailed for this kind of story. I love bright and vibrant colors but for this kind of cerebral story it feels kind of odd for the characters to be looking like children's cartoons. It doesn't really hurt the comic's story though and it's not off putting enough to make it a jarring experience to read.

Verdict

This issue brings tension, mystery and action into a pretty awesome package. Some of the dialog feels like it's trying a little too hard to poke fun of tropes and clichés. But I still have to say it's pretty smartly written and totally worth reading. I give Fracture Vol. 2 # 3 an 8 out of 10.

1st Impressions: FRACTURE ENCORE EDITION # 1

FRACTURE ENCORE EDITION # 1

Written by Shawn Gabborins
Art by Chad Cicconi & Dave Dwonch
Action Lab Entertainment

FLIPPING THROUGH:

                We get introduced to our main character Jeff … I mean Malice, the supervillain … no wait! Not Malice!  It’s the hero, Virtue! The mighty hero Virtue comes to rescue a woman from some muggers … and finds himself married … wait, no … our main character is Jeff. It’s Malice. No. It’s Virtue. No. It’s Jeff. And thus … Fracture begins.

ART:

                Cicconi and Dwonch give us a great book here. The classic comic book style is meshed with some great panel composition that you would not normally see. There was a good use of angles, backgrounds and a strong amount of expression.  Cicconi does a good job giving people a good amount of detail to make them distinct.  While the style is simplier, Cicconi is able to convey action well.  Yet, there are a few panels where the detail is less and it hurts it a little but overall, solid pencils.

                Dwonch’s colors and shade really work to strengthen Cicconi’s work.  The colors are a bit light on some points but Dwonch does a good job shading.  Yet, Dwonch makes it work, help giving  Cicconi’s work the detail of expression it needs.  While the style might not be in the Big Two, it is still a solid comic.

WRITING:

                Okay. I give it to you Gabborin. I am all in. Jeff is an interesting character with a wonderful conundrum. When readers read this book, you are never sure of what is happening. But that mystery is a driving force and Gabborin makes it entertaining. We get a look at three distinct sides: a villain, a hero and a civilian. The book poses a lot of questions while taking the time to have fun with classic super hero banter, tropes and overall fascinations people have with heroes and villains.
                Gabborin nails it with great dialogue. It is very natural … for Virtue and Jeff. The portions with Malice are purposely over the top.  Yet, I found Malice’s dialogue to be endearing.

                The pacing of the book was excellent. Gabborin give you just enough  to get a feeling for the characters and story that it will make you want more. Well done by Gabborin.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

                The art was solid. The story was awesome. This book has a lot going for it and I am in for the ride.

 RATING:

                I give Fracture Encore Edition # 1 an 8 …. Out of 10. Get it now. 

Comics News: FRACTURE Returns in a BIG WAY!

FRACTURE RETURNS TO SHATTER THE STATUS QUO!
Action Lab Entertainments flagship “Hero” returns in an all-new mini-series.

Pittsburgh, P.A._- Action Lab Entertainment, the company taking the comics industry by storm returns to it’s roots. Fracture, a series that began as a successful Kickstarter campaign and launch pad for the company itself returns in an all-new miniseries. Created by writer Shawn Gabborin (Snowed in, Angry Gnome Comics) and artist Chad Cicconi (NFL Rush Zone, Baby Boomers), Fracture Volume 2 is a follow up to the critically acclaimed story of  Superheroes, Supervillians and multiple personalities.

The City of Lower Triton is a city of heroes with the highflying Virtue first and foremost among them. However, for every hero there must be a villain and Malice, the technological terror, reigns supreme. But what happens when a normal guy named Jeff discovers he’s both?
Now, Jeff tries to move on with his normal, humdrum life, leaving the newly cloned Virtue, with his personality in place to become a full time hero. Virtue tries to protect Lower Triton while Jeff tries to keep his Malice personality at bay, which isn’t easy when he can’t get the drugs he needs! But life in Lower Triton is not normal by a long shot. Who is the newest villain on the scene, Vice? Who are the Croc men? And just how fractured is Jeff’s mind?

All of these answers and more can be found in the pages of Fracture, Volume 2 issue 1, featuring a variant cover by Molly Danger creator Jamal Igle.
Fracture #1 hits shelves on December 18^th at comic shops everywhere.

 For more information, retailers can contact Kelly Dale at kdale@actionlabcomics.com. For press and conventions you can reach Jamal Igle at jigle@actionlabcomics.com.


About Action Lab Entertainment
Formed in 2010 with the purpose of pooling their collective talents into a single, powerful entity, the members of Action Lab Entertainment have countless years in multimedia publishing, design, and business.  Their first release, Fracture, was successfully funded through Kickstarter and since then they have continued their mission to produce high quality, genre-spanning entertainment.
Since its formation, the accolades for A.L.E continue to build on a daily basis.  Among its more popular titles are all ages material like the Eisner, Glyph, Shel Dorf Award nominated series PRINCLESS, NFL RUSHZONE (based on the Nickelodeon Television series), Jamal Igle's MOLLY DANGER, Artist/ Writer Jeremy Dale’s hit series SKYWARD, and Gale Middleton’s (My Little Pony, The Littlest Pet Shop) monstrously adorable VAMPLETS.


Action Lab’s Mature Readers imprint ACTION LAB DANGER ZONE continues to push the envelope of comics entertainment with titles as varied as EHMM THEORY and Dan Mendoza’s over the top horror-comedy ZOMBIE TRAMP, THE FINAL PLAGUE and BO, PLUSHY GANGSTA.
 
For more information on all of their titles, visit www.Actionlabcomics.com