After the Fire Graphic Novel Review

Title:	After the Fire
Contributors:	Tom Waltz Guiu Vilanova
Publisher:	IDW
Issue #:	1
Year:	2005 - 2006
Pages:	104 Pages
Age Rating:	18 (Language, Violence, Gore, Nudity, Sex, Drug Use, Adult Themes)
Story Grade:	A
Art Grade:	A

This is the story of a cop that is murdered for standing up for what is right in a world of corruption and madness and his quest for revenge as he tries to protect his daughter who survives the arsonist's fire that ultimately took his life.

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so to. But aside from the tired storyline, it is still a compelling story that Tom Waltz has filled with characters I actually cared about and characters I loved to hate.

The protagonist, Shane, isn't a super-cop. He is an everyday guy trying to do the right thing by his family and his job and in doing so it ended up costing him his life and putting his family in danger. For that, in the after-life he is given the choice to rest in peace or attend to unfinished business. He obviously chooses the later or the book would have been much shorter.

As a result of his choice Shane returns as a hot-headed spirit to exact his vengeance on those who wronged him and still threaten his family.

This story and writing from Tom Waltz combined with great art from Guiu Vilanova made for superior graphic novel that enjoyed from start to finish, all 102 pages of packed story and art.

This is a mature book, with adult themes of sexuality, nudity, violence, gore, drug use and topics of conversation happening throughout the book.

So parents need to consider themselves warned.

To talk a little more about the artwork; it is apparent that much time and consideration was put into the art, as much as was put into the story itself. Guiu's style was a perfect match for this book. His page layouts and flow, like making great use of full page spreads, but not over using it, worked well in keeping the pace of the book on target.

Guiu has got a darker style to his art with some grit to it that works well with the themes of the book, but isn't overly done as to not overpower the imagery.

The most effective thing Guiu did was his ability to alter his style, even if just slightly as a signal that something supernatural is about to happen. It is wonderfully effective.

All in all I grade this book a solid A. The story and art are both solid and this book an easy re-read time and again. Worth a look if you are looking for a supernatural crime thriller. Do yourself a favor and don't pass this up simply because it looks to be tired storyline. This is a well written, well drawn book that deserves your attention.

Until next time... Happy Haunting.