Writer & Artist: Rob Jones
Pencils: Dick Giordano Letters: "A. Machine" & Joe Gutenberg
Editor: Megan McDonald
Publisher: Perfect Storm Publishing & Kickstarter
WHAT IS IT?
An adventure comic with strong historic elements.
It's a little like if Indiana Jones were a stunt woman, and the movies went more into depth in actual history.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
Kate Carter is a stunt actor and an archaeology buff. She and a team have to make a shallow, cell phone-obsessed actor the next Teddy Roosevelt.
Whether it's because that actor is going to play Roosevelt in a movie, or because he’s rich and it’s what his father wants for him (as the characters briefly mention), it's hard to say. But Kate and the crew go out to study Alexander the Great because it’s also what this actor's dad wants, apparently, and because Alexander was also a strong leader.
Things start to go sideways when they set their plans in motion to find Alexander’s remains, and Kate and friends are drawn down a rabbit hole filled with intrigue and danger.
WHAT WORKS?
It's very cool seeing an adventure comic that focuses so much on history
Each issue (so far) focuses on a different historic figure, like Teddy Roosevelt or Alexander the Great
Easy-to-enjoy narrative is approachable and interesting, and friendly for younger audiences
Line art is very realistic and true-to-life
A lot of the characters seem like famous people were used for Rob Jones's reference, like Kevin Smith, Nic Cage, and maybe a young Harrison Ford
Faces are expressive and body language is good and loose rather than looking like it used friends posing in place for reference
The line art is well defined, but not overwrought, and we get an extremely detailed cityscape in the second issue
Full color isn't always possible in indie comics, so it's definitely welcome in Highspot!
Highspot stars a strong female lead, and there are also women as supporting characters
Plus, they don't spend the whole time talking about the men, which is also great
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
Some spelling errors or misused words can take linguistically-inclined readers out of the moment
The lettering style isn't my favorite
The script used can be a little unfriendly to people reading on devices
Every dow and then, there seems to be a word in cursive instead of script, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for it
The color can look a little flat (see below for an example), but again, I'm just happy to have color in an indie comic at all
The writing style is narration-heavy and panels sometimes serve to just reiterate what's being told to us through dialogue
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Highspot is an enjoyable, history-based adventure comic featuring a strong female lead. What's not to like?
HOW DO I BUY IT?
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