The Last Broadcast #1
Written by Andre Sirangelo
Illustrated by Gabriel Iumazark
Letters by Deron Bennett
Publisher: Boom! Studios, Archia
2014
For a series about magic, The Last Broadcast doesn’t have any cheap tricks up its sleeve. It’s more about artfulness, from the handsome detailed panels to the intriguing and vibrant plot. The Last Broadcast tells a great story with skill, precision and mystery, and should be essential reading for any comic book fan.
The Last Broadcast continues Archaia’s return to single issue releases, this time with Andre Sirangelo making his debut with the company. Splitting the narrative between three time periods, Broadcast is set in the worlds of urban exploration and stage magic. It begins with Ivan, an aspiring stage magician with few prospects, who wakes up in hospital after an explosion that kills his friends. We are then treated to a flashback with Ivan and co. exploring a secret bunker that once belonged to an escape artist and mentalist from the 1930s named Blackhall The Incredible – a man who we learn died while performing a deadly trick (Russian Roulette gone wrong). The plot follows several characters in different spaces and times, a structure which provides a great vehicle to slowly reveal plot information, without giving too much away too soon. The Last Broadcast #1 is a prime example of how to successfully launch a new series, with a story steeped in a mystery centred around life, death, and everything in between. If you’re looking for good writing, and fully realized characters full of sly, devious and complicated motives; look no further.
The Last Broadcast is wonderfully engrossing, darkly mysterious and entertaining from start to finish. Even more, it features some truly awe-inspiring art. Gabriel Iumazark’s work here as been described as a fusion between Brazilian and Japanese styles. The dark tones, muted colours, washed out look, and sketchy characters, evoke a very grim aesthetic that enhances the brooding atmosphere. Many readers have set a high bar when it comes to Archaia, and The Last Broadcast will not disappoint as it continues their longstanding tradition of publishing some of the most beautiful and well written comics in the industry. It brings the originality and artistry you come to expect from Archaia’s graphic novel catalog, even if applied to single issues.
A great start to a series, The Last Broadcast is a classy little maze of distractions, obsessions and showmanship, that keeps the readers mesmerized.
– Ricky D
