The Patron. #1: The Tortured Artist

How far would you be willing to go to make it in your dream job? For Matty, he was a struggling artist until a mysterious man offered him the deal of a lifetime. Unfortunately, it would be the last deal he ever made…or was it?

Creative Team: Christian Ward, John J. Pearson, And Hassan Otsmane-

Slight Spoilers Ahead

The Story:

Christian is truly an incredible and talented writer. We’re met with a success story and in the world of making it as a successful artist it can be daunting. What I love about this is how there is something slightly off at the jump of this issue whether it is the way Otsmane-Elhaou letters or this uneasy feeling that Christian builds throughout this first issue, it lingers heavily throughout. What Ward excels at is giving us just enough to hook us in before leaving us hanging which has us on the hook dying for that next book. I already have my theories as to what is happening and I love a good mystery!

The Art:

The artwork by John brings about the heaviness as far as the mood goes in this issue. Opting to go with darker colors allows him to play with the shadowing when we meet our mysterious person and when we get close ups of his face the shadowing detail offers something uneasy about him. There is a full page that really leans into the horror offering a peak into something supernatural at play. The dull coloring in this again works incredibly well and by no means is dull an insult. This is a dark and mysterious story and the detailing and coloring injects enough of an uneasy feeling to capture this.

Final Thoughts:

The Patron #1 takes us into the world of art and artists who are willing to do anything it takes to have their hard work seen. There is a heavy and lingering sense of unease and enough given by the team to make us uncomfortable without fully being able to place where this comes from. I’ll be returning for issue 2 and cannot suggest enough how this is a book to check out!

Let us know how you feel about this issue and make sure to check out more by Matt!