10 YEARS OF THE BF SIX TO WATCH! There’s a dynamism and an energy to the work of Shane Melisse that has become ever more pronounced over the last few years as his visual storytelling skills have developed and evolved. If you’re a fan of the artist’s work on social media you will already be aware of his Road Knight illustrations – cool armoured figures with a fantasy feel placed against recognisable urban backgrounds. In his latest comic Skate Knight – described as “a Road Knight Side Quest” – the Broken Frontier 2021 ‘Six to Watch’ artist brings those characters and concepts to the comics page for the first time.
Skate Knight introduces readers to the Road Knight world in a self-contained 24-page story that serves as entry point, without necessarily having to explain every last facet of this reality at this stage. On her way to an evening playing video games with a friend Skate Knight encounters a gang of Hoodrats (anthropomorphic rodent-like creatures) and in her efforts to escape them finds herself in a mysterious abandoned skate park. Her presence there awakens a malevolent spirit known as the Skate Park King. One she must somehow return to its mystical prison…
While Skate Knight may be economical in plot this is more about Melisse demonstrating how he can tell an absorbing story visually, and in that regard he delivers with flair. What we have here is a masterclass in kinetic sequentials as Skate Knight battles the Skate Park King with the aid of an enigmatic ally. The motion and fluidity of the combative choreography here is a marvel to behold. One early double-page spread showing Skate Knight’s moves in the park places her multiple times within the same “panel” and it’s a joyous example of how to desterously play with comics’ relationship with the passage of time.
It’s worth noting as well how Melisse uses lettering sound effects to add to that sense of sweeping movement through the comic. Moody colouring and handsome print production values add to the experience. He’s been working with these character designs for some time now and their comics debut, with its part video games-influence and its skateboarding homage, is one that ensures the reader wants to see far more of this fictional reality. Hopefully the next instalment won’t be too long in coming.
Shane Melisse (W/A) • Self-published, £10.00
2024 marks the tenth year of Broken Frontier’s ‘Six to Watch‘ initiative. Look for articles throughout the year celebrating the work of those artists who have been a part of the programme.
