I just read the Lunar Room debut and it’s awesome!
Reminiscent of TV dramas that appeared on the CW or WB when I was younger, the punchy tone and stylish accents and dialogue keep a naturalistic and modern feeling to a classic monster.
The dark setting, leather-clad hottie main character, and anti-institutional themes are perfect for older readers who come from the Gothic-themed nineties to new readers who love to punch upwards at oppressive and deceitful systems.
The main plot’s theme in this debut issue of the series is about agency and power over oneself. This resonates with me personally as someone who has a constant journey of self-discovery and fighting for self-expression. With the older ages of the characters, this series is angling towards an audience that is underserved in the mainstream arena with the potential to appeal to a wider range of ages.
The art is crisp and open with most of the dark tone coming from the colors and all of the characters look stylish and youthful. Another sign of this comic’s contemporary lean. The line art is a big draw for those readers who are coming from a digital comic background and the compositions are clean and readable narratively. This works great for the high action fast pace of the Issue format.
The colors’ classic feeling is a draw for readers of more traditional American comics and goes well with the overall tone of the story. The usage of blue, red, and green gives it a neon and grotesque palette that shows a mastery of coloring for print. This usage of color might be a drawback for younger readers who are used to webcomics, but it’s a necessary step for printing comics. To me, the only real drawback is that occasionally the contrast between planes is a little bit low for my tastes.
This play of the new and the classic is a constant theme throughout the visual styling and storytelling and even the mechanics of being a werewolf in this universe. It brings a sense of conflicting harmony, and fashionable power-clashing, to comics that are able to monopolize the strengths of each team member.
I am definitely excited for the next installment of this funky fantasy/action series and the intertwined relationships that unfold! This series is available to download on ComiXology.