Art by: Alex Sheikman
Colours by: Kris Carter
Welcome oh weary traveller, pull up a comfortable chair and let me regale you with a dark and wondrous tale of despicable treachery and the bloodiest of revenge – all brought to you be indie creators Sam Roads and Alex Sheikman. Set against the end of the great war and featuring a heroic Russian soldier, the scope of the tale, even in the early phases of the book, is magnificent. The basic story is that of a revenge tale, it feeds directly from the classic tale of the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. However, Sam Roads transplants this epic tale to the backdrop of Communist Russia. You don’t need to know the original tale, what’s contained in the pages of Kristo is more than enough story for any book.
For any revenge story to work, for it to attract sufficient emotional involvement from the reader, we have to have a human heart in the centre of the story, the treachery has to be vile, and the hardships have to be inhumane. All of this is expertly delivered by a writer perfectly at home with the story and characters.
This is more than a revenge story though, Roads and Sheikman take us on a tour of some of the more brutal elements of that era; the elements of social commentary are sombre without being pedantic.
Along with Sam on this tale of epic hardship and bitter woe, is Alex Sheikman. The art for Kristo, by Alex, features a number of really standout panels, where a number of moods are translated for the reader. The opening panel is stark, with a bitter light permeating the scene. In other words it is perfect. There are a good selection of such well worked panels, expertly set up and realized, with fitting embellishment from Kris Carter on colours. The overall effect from the creative team is a solid tale, one that draws you in until the bitter end. The creative team have put together a very professional, very polished book, one that demands your attention! A sterling effort from all involved.
