Barrier #1 Review- Vaughn and Martin Return with Pick Your Price Greatness

Review by Nolan P. Smith

FOR MATURE READERS

(Victor Valley)—When Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin brought the world The Private Eye through Panel Syndicate, they made a huge splash in the comic industry for two major reasons: one, the story was superb, and second, the issues were made available as online exclusives to the single issues on a pick your price principle, so you pick what you want to pay for each issue. Well, the duo is back again with Barrier, a story that seems vastly different from The Private Eye, but every bit as engaging.

This first issue of The Barrier tells the tales of two protagonists, both from very different lives: ranch owner Liddy from Pharr, Texas and Oscar from San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Liddy, dealing with the loss of her husband, is dealing with someone destroying the animals on her property, as Oscar is on his journey to the United States: Texas to be exact. I can tell you more about Liddy than Oscar’s story, as Oscar’s sections are told completely in Spanish, making this a truly bi-lingual comic book. But Martin’s attention to detail and facial expressions makes following the story easy enough: I can see Oscar’s crazy and dangerous journey across the border, I just don’t know the details to the dialogue.

Vaughn and Martin have once again created a book told in the landscape format: a format I feel has been missing from comics for far too long. The artwork looks fantastic, as Martin’s visuals make the dual story come to life: from Liddy’s efforts to protect her land to Oscar’s struggles, which near the end are told in tandem within panels and makes for a great reading experience. Vaughn’s tale is more grounded than The Private Eye- more based in reality, at least for now.

Vaughn and Martin has created an amazing online comic once again, one that has a heck of a cliffhanger that will turn the whole story upside down. Barrier will continue online at http://panelsyndicate.com/.

Rating: 4 out of 5.