By Joe Schickman, Reporter

Official Synopsis:
The split book revival is underway at Syzygy! Every month Tales of Syzpense presents two titanic 12-page tales of terror and turmoil! Up first courtesy of Lore co-creators T.P. LOUISE & ASHLEY WOOD the lead-off mystery of “Les Mort 13” plays out on the surreal and mysterious island of Southport after a run-in with Eris the goddess of strife…

And then proof that “power is wasted on the young” Chris Ryall & Nelson Daniel present “Dreamweaver” the story of an aging adventurer with a mystical secret who looks to pass on his abilities to the next generation of hero…until they have much greater success than he did and he decides he wants those abilities back at any cost.

Each issue features two “Les Mort 13” covers by Wood, a “Dreamweaver” cover by Daniel, and a Syzpenseful tribute cover to famous split books of the past.

Covers
Cover A: Ashley Wood
Cover B: Nelson Daniel
Cover C: Nelson Daniel
Cover D: Ashley Wood

Tales of Syzpense “Les Mort 13“

Creative Team:
Co-Creators: TP Louise & Ashley Wood

The ominous opening welcomes you to Southport with haunting descriptions of a lonely and dangerous island, perilous to approach and treacherous to traverse. Its history hints at an inhospitable past, slowly domesticated by those brave enough, and those whose fates tied them there among the ancient ruins of an unnamed goddess. Yet in the end, Southport would become a sanctuary for robot fighters, left refugees from the Metal Coup Wars. 

Our first subject is a visitor to Hills-end Harbor, Southport. Fresh off the four hour tardy ferry and fatigued, we hear him promising over a pay phone that it won’t be long, and to return home soon. But is his call connecting to anyone? We’re left in sincere doubt as he shuffles away from the fallen phone, mumbling to himself “not long”, and mistaking the tolling of great bells for seagulls, before checking in to Hotel Spitz – the only such accommodations on Southport.

We turn to one of the robot sections of Southport Cemetery, The Eternal Autumn, where a mysterious onlooker watches the proceedings. Reflecting on what death is to a robot while contemplating how the robot witch Six Saucy Six died, our mysterious watcher notes that so many of the Metal Coup’s fighters ended up surrounding each other, their grief  apparent even through their hard unmoving faces. But the truth behind who or what killed Six Saucy Six preoccupies, and their chassis held in the Metal Cathedral holds the next set of answers… or at least the next set of questions.

The tale has great potential for paranormal problems with lost legends, tumultuous tides, and heinous histories surrounded by ruins and robots, all wrapped in a visual style that somehow makes you feel engrossed and uncomfortable all at once. Louise & Ashley Wood craftily cultivate a hazy topography seeded with phantoms of suggested frights, leaving the readers’ imaginations to fill in the ghostly gaps. Les Mort 13 #1’s visual aesthetic is a refreshing departure from the mainstream confines comics can fall into, applying a neo-gothic lens to this nearly-noir spooky story. 

Tales of Syzpense “Les Mort 13 – Vintage Bonus Haunting – Part one“

The four pages contained in Les Mort 13’s Vintage Bonus Haunting, Part one, distill the best components of the main story’s enigmatically eerie environment into their most potent form yet seen. Full page pictures paired with eloquently simple syntax, and the effect entices excellently. 

Tales of Syzpense “DreamWeaver“

Creative Team:
Co-Creators: Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel
Letterer: Ian Chalgren

I have been accused of overusing alliteration from time to time, but I’m a complete sucker for it when done well by others. The opening text “Introducing the Malevolent and Mystic Might of Dream Weaver” caught me right off the bat, and my interest was solidified by the following humorous tagline “Power is wasted on the young!” Wasting no time, the story begins with our titular character stepping out of a portal above the USS Midway, only to immediately fall when he is materialized far too high by Speck, a magical glowing aura whose nature is a mystery. After sparing a moment for his still/re-injured back, the sense of dark magic being performed draws DreamWeaver, aka Cutler Carlton, below deck.

As he descends, DreamWeaver chastises his own foolishness, questions his past decisions, and laments how difficult this all has become in his twilight years, as a foreboding permeates the back of his mind. Discovering a candle lit ritual in the ship’s bowels, and the source of DreamWeaver’s unease, he watches as a group of young cultists begin to cast a spell opening a recombinant portal, something that cannot be allowed. But just as our hero prepares to intervene, misfortune plays its part and DreamWeaver finds himself tumbling to the feets of his soon-to-be assailants. Can he outsmart these punks and put a stop to their powerful portal? Or is his age finally a fatal liability causing Cutler Cartlon to contemplate DreamWeaver’s successor with Speck? Is it truly that easy?

Creators Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel meticulously merge humor, action, and the immediately captivating chronicle of Cutler Cartlon’s exploits into an imaginative and enjoyable endeavor. DreamWeaver #1 is a self aware homage, drawing on classic comic tropes, but trading their often overused origins for an updated take that feels as fresh as it is funny. Teasing as much as it delivers, the story progresses smoothly without any of the over-bloated self importance often found in tales of introspective aging heroes coming to terms with their growing limitations. Will the character follow the comics lead in this? I can’t wait to find out.

Rating:
ComicOnline gives Tales of Syzpense #1 – 3.5/5 mysterious machinations.

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