Fell Hound has been quickly rising up the ranks of new comic book creator to watch. That includes being a Sequential Magazine Award winner and Ringo Award-nominated creator. Now Hound is launching a new comic book series titled S.I.R. #1. The series is part of BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! Box publishing imprint. We got the chance to check out an early copy of the first issue. Find out how it turned out with our advance review of S.I.R. #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Fell Hound
Colorists: Eleonora Bruni and Freddie Tanto
Letterer: Becca Carey
S.I.R. #1 SOLICITATION
“Get ready for your new obsession… MOTORCYCLE JOUSTING!
Fate brutally separated Avery Sakai from her girlfriend Nico Xing, but acceptance at Bridleham Academy might be just the thing to bring them back together. As it turns out though, Nico’s extracurriculars are the last thing Avery expected.
Now to win a chance at love, Avery will need to throw herself into the violent but captivating world of the motorcycle jousting fight club known as the Seismic Ironclash Roulette!
Ringo Award-nominated, indie darling cartoonist Fell Hound (Commander Rao, And We Love You) brings an over-the-top sports and battle anime energy to BOOM! Box!” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
S.I.R. #1 does not hold your hand when it comes to introducing you to its world. We are thrown into a world with a lead character that has already had a lot of life-changing developments in their life. It is a way to kick off a story that is reminiscent of an anime first episode or manga first chapter.
Going with this route where Avery Sakai is carrying this massive backstory creates an experience where you are learning about her and the world with each interaction. The deeper we get into the story the more details we learn about the story. This storytelling approach has you paying attention to the details Fell Hound is throwing at you, both in the writing and artwork.
The presentation plays into the slice-of-life approach the majority of S.I.R. #1 takes. As Avery is getting used to her new school setting we are slowly learning how things work alongside her. It gets you more into why Avery ended up going Bridleham Academy given the backstory she is given.
This sense of discovery makes the dynamic Avery shares with her ex-girlfriend, Nico Xing, carry much more weight. Hound does a great job at writing and drawing Avery and Nico’s interactions as people who had a deep relationship before this first issue. It is done in a natural way that you understand how intimately they knew each other without saying how many years they knew each other. That led to a more natural interaction between Avery and Nico that framed the impact their relationship has in what takes place during the final third of this issue.
Hound’s artwork is very reminiscent of what you’ll find in webtoons. It works well for the BOOM! Box publishing line as it does have a more anime-esque look with the approach towards slice-of-life interactions and shonen-style action. The dynamic artwork makes the presentation of the Seismic Ironclash Roulette sport standout even more. Even if we don’t know all the rules, if any, the sport has Hound’s artwork provides a high energy to the action it delivers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
S.I.R. #1 is strong start to the latest series to join the BOOM! Box publishing line. Fell Hound taps into the magic that comes with slice-of-life webtoons and shonen-style anime. The presentation gets you immediately invested in the story being told with the two series leads. That most importantly creates a feeling of wanting to read more after finishing the final page.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
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