The first episode of Dave Gibbon’s “Treatment,†via the Madefire app, was a tease. It showed off the visual storytelling capabilities of the platform, but little else.
Treatment: Mexico City, with its stylish Brian Bolland cover, Robbie Morrison’s script and Dougie Brathwaite’s art, however, has it all.
Even without the killer sound effects, from the sound of crow’s caws to gunshots and breaking glass, the comic is still engaging. With the sound off, the aesthetically pleasing popping-panels and smooth transitions make for an engaging tale, but all together, you have an engrossing experience.
In the end, that’s exactly what this application is supposed to do-enhance already stellar stories. No longer a cool idea, “Treatment: Mexico City†is proof that the Madefire app is the place for comic book creators sick of old conventions.
Morrison’s script has an Alan Moore scope, but it also possesses a Frank Miller grit to it that will immediately attract comic die-hards. Although it’s over in two shakes of a lamb’s tale, which is the case with most MadeFire comics, the characters are intriguing and the action is break-neck. Although some of the characters of “Treatment†are on the cliché side, with the revenge-seeking authoritative figure and the tough gal out to prove herself, there’s enough different devices in the plot to keep you interested.
A former Mexican boxing champion (That looks a bit like Manny Pacquiao meets Charles Bronson), a part of a worldwide police task force that’s also a reality show? A Mexican wrestler turned drug dealer? Morrison has your attention now, doesn’t he?
At the same time, with all the action and backstory in this episode, you get the feeling reading that the story is about to break wide open.
Brathwaite’s art is similar to Gibbons’, but behind fantastic colors by Angus McKie, another industry veteran, the visuals are more than solid. Brathwaite has been in the industry forever, working alongside greats like Denny O’Neil, Grant Morrison and Alex Ross, but this could be the work that gets him more mainstream attention. The same thing goes for McKie, who has a reputation as a brilliant artist of sci-fi novel covers, not particularly comic book color work.
If this team can stay together for a period of time and find some type of creative synergy, “Treatment†will be, for many, their iPad’s new best friend.
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