Publisher: Action Lab
Writer: James Whynot
Artist: James Whynot
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $11.99

Billed as a fresh take on Frankenstein’s Monster, if there really is such a thing, Bolts Vol. 1 collects the first story arc in the Bolts saga and is really a mash-up of horror, westerns and fantasy.

Bolts Vol.1 is very much the brainchild of James Whynot (yes, that is his real name) and tells the story of a young looking Frankenstein’s Monster, here called just Frank as he is thrust into a strange dimension by a strange entity called The Observer. If that name rings any bells it’s probably Marvel calling. This dimension resembles the wild west but if full of monsters and is ruled by a dragon that everyone calls The Dragon, but I guess being literal isn’t a crime.

In Bolts Vol.1, Frank’s mission is to restore the balance of the universe and prevent darkness from taking over, something he accepts with no qualms whatsoever. Along the way he meets various freaks, friends and foes, but since this is just the first arc not a whole lot of progress is made by the end of it.

Bolts Vol.1 is obviously a labour of love for James Whynot and that shines through but I found the monochrome art with splashes of red a bit wearing on the eyes and the whole thing over-wordy. The fact that for Bolts Vol.1 James Whynot felt the need to tell us there were a lot of “in” jokes in the script and even pointed one out in case we missed it seems to suggest a lack of confidence in the finished product.

I’m sure James Whynot has a lot of great stories to tell, I’m just not sure Bolts Vol.1 is one of them.

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker