GLOAMING (VOL. 1), from Two Gargoyles Comics, collects the first four issues of the mysterious town of Gloaming, where the rules of time and supernatural forces create a twisted reality.
The Details
- Written by: Michael McAdam
- Art by: Kyle Burles
- Colors by: Kyle Burles
- Letters by: Michael McAdam
- Cover art by: Kyle Burles
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $9.99
- Release date: Available Now
Is GLOAMING (VOL. 1) Good?
GLOAMING (VOL. 1) takes a trip to a wild town when an investigative journalist goes looking for a missing pop star and finds voodoo, werewolves, serial killers, and ancient evil. If that laundry list of developments doesn’t float your horror-loving boat, nothing will.
Michael McAdam’s eclectic script centers on Doug Carter, a reporter with a nose for news who sets his sights on a missing pop star the world seems to have forgotten. When Carter tracks down the pop star’s hometown, Gloaming, Carter finds he can check in anytime he likes, but he can never leave.
If the Eagles reference didn’t tip you off, the town is weird. Super weird. Carter is faced with a mystery surrounding the pop star’s disappearance, but it’s clear that Gloaming has an infinite number of mysteries waiting to be discovered.
What’s great about this volume? As much as this volume follows Doug Carter and the mystery at hand, this is Gloaming’s story. The town has a life and personality of its own where the citizens are players in some grand scheme that you can feel happening but don’t know how it will all play out. Further, the strange citizens and bizarre developments are contained within the town limits, but the story shows how the town calls people to it from the outside world, making the potential for more stories even greater.
What’s not so great about this volume? The pacing is hindered by Carter’s inner monologue. Carter explains everything he sees, does, thinks, and feels in practically every panel. Sometimes getting the character’s thoughts and feelings in a crucial moment helps give the story texture, but it’s okay to let the art speak for itself.
How’s the art? Kyle Burles’s art style ranges from serviceable to pretty good. Generally, Burles’s character designs, anatomy, and backgrounds are solid, but the panels feel flat – a common problem with digital art. Part of the flatness is due to the disconnect between the character design and the panel perspective. The other part is the disconnect between the color shading and the light sources. These are small-ish issues that, when combined, give the panels a flat, 2-D look.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a brief narration by Doug Carter, an investigative journalist whose book about a child prodigy pop star, Tommy Jordan, was rejected because nobody can find a record of the pop star ever existing. Carter stubbornly seeks proof of Tommy’s existence, which leads him to Tommy’s childhood town of Gloaming.
Gloaming is a small, quiet town where children don’t play outside, and adults go about their day unaware of anything amiss. It’s as if the people of Gloaming are playing parts in a show and don’t realize it. Carter’s investigation soon leads him to the local school and orphanage, which was shut down years ago after the janitor was caught performing ritual murder.
Now, Carter learns the killer, thought dead, may have returned, receives help from a local mechanic who may not be entirely human, and finds a new meaning for the name Frankenstein. We conclude the volume with wizardly manhunts, deadly confrontations, and voodoo battles.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)
GLOAMING (VOL. 1) turns out to be one town you don’t want to visit on vacation. Michael McAdam’s script brims with multiple mysterious, intriguing twists, and a barn-sized door wide open for more. That said, the protagonist’s inner monologue slows the pacing, and the digital art is sufficient but flat.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.