Bust is a comic book that was successfully Kickstarted by Edinburgh author Dave Cook and illustrated by Chris O’Toole.
The 32-page comic jumps straight into the action with a grizzled veteran getting ready for a gladiatorial match. From the outset it is clear this isn’t a comic book for young readers as language used fits the characters. In a post-apocalyptic America you shouldn’t expect people to be polite.
Our hero, Jack, is being forced to fight by a dictator who holds his family hostage. The world of Bust is an unpleasant one – a disease ripped through the population, turning the infected into mindless, aggressive, rage mutants. Jack has to fight these mutants in the arena and survive.
The strength of Bust, I think, is the clarity of the storytelling. You don’t struggle to work out what’s going on. You’re immediately deeply aware of the Herculean task that Jack faces and you know how unlikely his chances are.
There’s more to Bust than just arena fights against mutants, though, and clarity of storytelling doesn’t mean the comic is an extended action sequence. Expect a plot wriggle here and there. Sure, yeah, comic book readers are likely to be expecting something to happen but once again Bust is all about Jack dealing with situations where the odds are stacked against him. Will he survive?
I really enjoyed Bust. Chris O’Toole brings the story to life with dramatic illustrations and Dave Cook is spot on with the pace of the action.
Fans of Bust will be pleased to know that a second episode has already Kickstarted and is on the way. It took just 48 hours to fund. Pop over to Bust Comic.com to buy issues and merch.
Additionally, Dave Cook has launched a new Kickstarter for a new series just this week. Vessels is a fantasy inspired by Dark Souls and Inception.
Bust is an action packed comic from Edinburgh based creator Dave Cook. Jack is a great hero up against some unfortunate odds.