Advance Review — ‘Bone Orchard: Tenement’ #7 Robs Readers Of Sorrentino’s Unconventional Approach
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
A change in storytelling tactics makes for a more conventional-looking issue. That may seem like a welcome change of pace, but instead it robs readers of one of the most exciting and effective elements of this limited series — Andrea Sorrentino’s approach to his illustrations.
Overall
8/10With all the crazy and sometime confusing happenings in Bone Orchard: Tenement, it’s so surprising that the limited series takes issue #7 for a flashback to try to answer some questions. In doing so, though, it robs readers of some of the series’ best element – illustrator Andrea Sorrentino’s amazing artwork.
Sure, Sorrentino still draws the issue. But, curiously enough, the flashback seems to have put restraints on his usual (that is, typically unusual) style. He is rarely constrained by conventional comic book visual standards like six panels on a page. In fact, the panels themselves are sometimes not even rectangles. For that past six issues, he’s dazzled us with this kind of unconventional wizardry.
Issue #7 is much more straightforward. Yes, the imagery inside each panel looks like Sorrentino’s work, and he uses some splash pages to emphasize a few key moments, but overall this chapter suffers a bit because he doesn’t take the gloves off. It’s still good. It’s just not Sorrentino good. It doesn’t help that the issue is largely black and white, which leaves colorist Dave Stewart with little to do other than paint some blood here and there.
The story itself is meant to finally give readers some answers to what is happening and why. It does that – but only to a small extent. Sorrentino and writer Jeff Lemire have built a complicated, multi-layered story in their Bone Orchard mythos – and they aren’t about to spill all the beans here. Instead, readers of the other works in the series will find some connections as well as a peak into what the mysterious Seven are that they’ve been reading about since Tenement’s first issue. But if you come into the issue thinking “all will be revealed” you’ll put down the book disappointed.
For now, patient readers should sit back and let the story unfold at the pace that these great storytellers dictate. Just give us more Sorrentino goodness to soak up.
Bone Orchard: Tenement #7 is available for purchase today.
