Dear readers, I am both thrilled and honored to bring you a review of a Kickstarter comic by Ashley Cope. As the title suggests, it’s called Unsounded, and with her somewhat recently ended Kickstarter project she was able to compile the first three chapters of her webcomic into a tpb. The cover alone hints at both the humor and beauty that are found within.

Plot Summary:

We find ourselves with the hilariously mismatched duo of Sette, a young, brash, human girl with the heart of a true rogue, and Duane, a Galit. As far as Sette is concerned, a Galit is a zombie; although Duane disagrees with this. Given that he is skilled in magical arts, quite well-spoken educated, and carries himself with the utmost dignity, I’m inclined to agree. The unlikely partners are on a quest to investigate why Sette’s cousin Stockyard Frummagem, hasn’t been turning in his proper share of tribute to Sette’s father, the “boss-king” of thieves.

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Reasoning:

Honestly, there’s nothing not to love about this. The story is good, the action is nicely placed, well laid-out, the humor is always spot on, and the serious issues touched on give one thoughtful pause. Much like the pairing of Sette and Duane, the juxtaposition of the never-ending banter between the main characters, and issues such as human trafficking and enslavement (not just that of humans mind you) may seem odd, but they go together very well; however, the fact that Ms. Cope can both skillfully and deftly deal with both lighthearted humor as well as more adult issues speaks volumes to her skill as a writer and storyteller.

As far as the art’s concerned, I literally have no complaints. What immediately struck me was the vibrancy of the colours she uses. Every single page, nay panel, brims with detail, life, and beauty. Facial expressions and outfits stand out and are memorable, and the panel layouts chosen in certain scenes perfectly help convey a sense of action and urgency or even bewilderment and awe. Some of her creations immediately call to mind Princess Mononoke (see below for an example) and it’s clear that Cope has invested a large amount of time, love, discipline, and passion into designing this rich, perplex, and intriguing world.

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Final rating: 5/5. By far, this is my favorite Kickstarter comic and one of my favorite collections. You owe it to yourself, and to Ms. Cope, to check this out. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day! I saved my personal favorite page for last as it really made me see more of The Spectre in Duane.