Review -- TALON

Talon
Written by Scottie Watson
Pencils by Scottie Watson
Spa Comics Group
If you’re a comicbook geek, the idea of a beautiful woman wearing very little in the way of armor, but carrying a really big sword, is automatically a character that is going to attract attention.
If you fit that mold, you have to take a long look at the promo edition of Talon by creator Scottie Watson. Talon is the atypical medieval sword swinging heroine. Add in a big baddie with magical powers, and you have a storyline that is older than Lord of the Rings, but still as popular as ever.
“Originally, I developed the concept for Talon after being introduced to T. H. White’s ‘The Once and Future King’ by a friend,” said Watson. “I was just a kid and I was so caught up in the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable that I started reading more books set in the medieval time period which eventually led to watching every film I could as well as researching books at the library that was set in that time period.
“It wasn’t until after I read about Joan of Arc years later that I knew I wanted to make Talon a strong lead female character. Her story really moved me. I felt strongly that I wanted the story of Talon to move people in the same way Joan of Arc’s story did with me.
“Joan’s story led me to delve deep into the Hundred Years War and Joan’s role in it. I began developing more characters and working them into the time line of the Hundred Years War mixing fiction with fact. For example: King Gervase, the evil ruler in Talon, is responsible for the creation of the black plague in my story. He’s also responsible for Joan of Arc’s demise. It’s a case of mistaken identity. He believes Joan is Talon.
“There are tons of plots and sub-plots to keep readers interested. By blending fact with fiction Talon's story is sure to entertain readers of all ages.”
That is one of the shortcomings of a preview issue of course, the creator doesn't get to reveal a whole lot of the overall story vision in only 12-pages. That said Watson’s ideas do bode well for the future of Talon.
Artistically, Watson’s renderings are all right here, but in checking out some of his other art online, he can do better.
Talon is in black and white, and at times Watson has used too much black, leading scenes to sort of get lost in the gray zone. I would expect moving forward Watson improves on the art side.
“My artistic style is still evolving really,” he said. “I hope it never stops.
“But as for the look of Talon, yes, there is a plan. In the beginning of her story the art will be lighter because she’s still so innocent but as she see’s more death and encounters even more battles the art will become darker to set the tone and mood, matching the story content.
“Just like in real life where we have days that are joyous and days that are dark so will Talon. Her tale is one that will test morality unlike any before it and the art will reflect this.
“I try to convey emotion within my art by varying the overall look in hopes of creating the visual atmosphere needed to relay the appropriate feeling to the reader. Much like music where certain sounds are used to evoke feelings of anger, love, sadness and fear as examples, I try to do the same with my art.”
While there are shortcomings given it is a promo, Watson himself is satisfied with what he established with the book.
“I’m very happy with the story. Issue 0 introduces readers to some of the characters from the regular series without giving anything away,” he said. “There are so many planned cliffhangers in the regular series that after each issue readers will be asking questions while at the same time others will be answered.
“Since I’m an independent I don’t have the same rules as the mainstream titles have in regards to marketing and can write interesting stories that will shock readers. Who knows what I’ll do with these characters and that keeps it interesting for me and the readers.
“Talon’s look will change as the story develops and situations arise that require her to wear a full suit of armor and just as the story will grow so will the look of the characters. Talon will be a thrill ride from the first issue to the last both visually and contextually.”
In terms of story, Watson really is thinking in rather epic terms.
“Right now I’m writing the 128 page Talon graphic novel, Issue 1 of the Talon Animake Over series which is Talon made over Manga style as well creating a Talon sketchbook,” he said.
“Talon is being published by Dimestore Productions but is also being carried and marketed by Red Handed Studios.
“Unfortunately it’s not being carried by comic shops but the plan is to get them in the stores by fans demanding it. The thing about creating a new property is it doesn’t stop at comics. There are other ways to get the product name out there to create the demand so I’ve been producing Talon eCards and Talon merchandise such as mugs, T-shirts, hoodies etc. All of this and more about Talon can be found on the Talon fan site at http://www.facebook.com/l/b53c2;www.thetalonchronicles.ning.com
The book is available through the same website.
-- CALVIN DANIELS

-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra