![]() ![]() ![]() Simeone’s art is strong in this issue, breaking from the more action, blockbuster feel of Marcelo Costa, and instead giving a scratchier, more worn style of linework. The plot does come together by the end, and the storylines link expertly as the narrative catches up to the present(ish) day. It’s hard to keep track of the various plotlines going from page to page, but is still more clear than other attempts at a similar format, like that of Crisis on Infinite Earth, which used a split structure but only did so at the bottom of the page for the separate story. It’s possible that may be the creators’ intention, as Wendell sees possible futures and events, but the feeling from reading the issue is less a deliberate sense of confusion and more a result of a difference in delivery. That limitation strips some of the momentum from the story, as the reader either has to keep jumping from section to section of the page or read through each storyline and receive broken chunks of a story. Just like the Batman issue, seeing this composition of four storylines across the page requires a shift in the way the comic is read, and when reading each page in an isolated chunk, rather than seeing it as a series of 2-page spreads, it throws the flow off at the beginning. The issue is difficult to read in a digital format, and it’ll be curious to see if it flows better on the physical page. Meanwhile, he works to survive with a companion in the future, as timelines then coalesce and Wendell in the present knows what he must do to save the world. As Wendell prioritizes work and career, he grows further from his family, missing more and more events. The sections of life appear in that order on the page, itching taking the fourth space to tell its story. The issue serves as the origin story for Radiant Yellow (Wendell), showcasing four separate points in his life: the time leading up to the birth of his daughter, his daughter’s 18th birthday, the time leading up to the events of Radiant Black, and then an undisclosed time in a post-apocalyptic future. Radiant Black #18 – written by Kyle Higgins and Laurence Homles, with art and colors by Stefano Simeone, and lettering from Becca Carey – is another one of those issues that play with the linear format of sequential art, utilizing a structure of four separate narratives across each page. In both cases, this breaks up the flow and takes the reader out of the sequence, which otherwise would have been smoother by reading the comic in a physical form. Either the reader has to know beforehand to disable the setting, which takes the experience out of the moment, or they have to stop reading to do so. Most devices support an auto-setting for screen rotation and thus impose an additional barrier to experiencing the creators’ intended effect. With a physical comic, the process of turning the book is easy but becomes more complicated when doing this on a phone or tablet. It’s a symbolic composition that reflects Batman’s mental state as he finds himself more and more lost, and requires the reader to physically change the perspective of their comic to experience the story in the correct direction. In the sequence where Batman is lost in the Court of Owls’ labyrinth, the layout of the pages begins to rotate. A perfect example of this change in experience is Scott Synder and Greg Capullo’s Batman #5. Things like the guided view help focus on a panel-by-panel flow or pinch to zoom lets a reader see the tiniest details. The shift has changed the physical act of handling a comic, and how it’s examined, seen, and experienced. ![]() As the medium has evolved and moved to a digital format. Comics offer an interesting intersection of technology and reader engagement. ![]()
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