Writer Dave Cook
Artist Christ O’Toole
For Card Shark Comics and Insane Comics
One of the best thing about indie comics is the room for creative ideas and characters that push boundaries and present something new, even if that is within an established genre. Bust is certainly something creative in idea and character. A post apocalyptic badass isn’t exactly a new idea but the way Cook puts his twist on the story of Bust and builds this world is certainly creative and original. As a character I love how BA Jack is, his attitude, his physical ability, everything about him screams BA. As the story moves Jack begins to have layers, like any other person, he has a history and that history turns into a very well done second storyline. The meshing of both storylines puts a very real feel to Jack and shakes every conclusion I automatically jumped to in the first storyline. By adding the second storyline Cook makes Jack so relatable that it’s nearly impossible to not root for him, best of both worlds, he is a great guy and a BA warrior. Clearly Cook has thought out this character and this world and his first effort at telling the story is more than solid, it’s compelling and has me invested.
The art in Bust is incredibly detailed and some of the facial expressions are amazing. O’Toole has a style that is all his own but stands up to some of the best. There is no color in this book and sometimes I don’t like that but with Bust I don’t even notice because of how detailed and excellent the art is. This isn’t a case of book that needs color but they skimped, this is a case of superior skills that can do without. I’m also very impressed with O’Toole’s lettering; a lot of times artists don’t do letters well but O’Toole nails down the caption and thought balloons just adding to the overall feel of the book. O’Toole and Cook make a great team and whatever vision Cook had for this book was served up perfectly by O’Toole’s art.
Bust is an Insane Comic and a Card Shark Comics production, it can be found at Insane’s website for digital and print and at Card Shark Comics website along with other Card Shark productions. Give them a look and support indie comics!
