Advance Review — ‘Ashes Over Neon: In The Gutter’ #0 Seeks To Free Us From The Humdrum
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
This crowdfunded series gets a solid, if incomplete, start by giving readers a character that many of us can relate to. Sera is caught between two worlds as she tries to navigate corporate America and her artistic passions. Throw in some good artwork, and you may have the beginning of a memorable story.
Overall
8/10Many of us — maybe most of us — are forced to separate our passions from our careers. We may love writing about comic books, for example, but realize that corporate marketing pays the bills.
It’s the truly fortunate among us who can turn what they love into what they do every day. The best that most of us can hope for is to find a way to incorporate some of that passion into our day jobs.
In Ashes Over Neon: In the Gutter #0, a young would-be professional named Sera tries to strike that balance. When we first meet her, she is sweating bullets over a presentation to an influential client. She channels her inner punk rocker to center herself. The rest of the pitch goes off without a hitch.
The rest of this establishing issue — written by Ethan Murphy based on an original story by Jake Tipton — centers on Sera’s return to her punk roots. The series, part of a crowdfunding campaign running September 9th – October 23rd, is meant to include original music in addition to the comics. The Murphy/Tipton story is familiar to anyone stuck in corporate America but longing for more. It does little more than lay the groundwork for what’s to come, though. Think of it as a setup, though little more.
The artwork from Gustavo Noveas feels more finished. Noveas gives us distinguishable characters with a flair for cyberpunk and manga. Sera exudes confidence when Noveas wants her to, yet he also depicts her as quite vulnerable. And the corporate world he depicts is familiar, while his music scenes are more exotic.
It’s difficult to judge a series based on an issue #0, but Ashes Over Neon has some solid elements that could give those of us stuck in soulless corporations something to appreciate and aspire to.
Ashes Over Neon: In the Gutter #0 — written by Ethan Murphy based on an original story by Jake Tipton, illustrated by Gustavo Noveas, colored by Gabriel Macedo, and lettered by Karan Bhandari — will be launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter on September 9th.
