Nightfall: Michael's Awakening #1 Review: A Truly Talented Voice

This very clever indie comic may have some mild technical and pacing issues but Nightfall: Michael's Awakening #1 shows a truly talented voice developing work with a distinctive style.

A college football quarterback has the world on a string — spotlight-stealing performances that outshine his lackluster team, the love of a beautiful woman, and a supportive family. It wasn't always easy — his mother struggled with mental illness which saddled young Michael with a lot more than his younger days should have been, but he has overcome through hard work and character.

Here's the gag: Dwayne Robinson Jr. wrote, drew, lettered, and (near the end, for thematic reasons) colored this comic book. First, wow. Robinson's linework is pretty, like, really effective in showing emotion in facial expressions and detail in crowd scenes, which is no easy feat. There's a very clever moment when the book switches from black and white to color at a crucial moment which was very clever.

Unfortunately, the characterization is a little flat and the twist at the ending was a little forced. There's also a very frustrating grammatical typo which spell check wouldn't catch, and it takes the reader out of what was intended to be a touching moment. Also, there's not really a clear antagonist, so that leaves this with no sense of urgency.

There's room for this title to develop and it's surely nice to look at, but it's not quite ready for prime time. RATING: MEH.