One of the industry leading comic sites, Broken Frontier, has posted their review of Harbor Moon. And it is a rave, claiming it is one of - if not the - best independent book of the year.
"Simply put, Harbor Moon is one of the finest comics I’ve read all year. This book—written by Ryan Colucci and Dikran Ornekian and illustrated by Pawel Sambor—truly has something to offer fans of horror and dark fantasy: a feverish premise, an intense narrative, haunting artwork and colors, and a murky atmosphere latent with danger and dread...
...What’s so interesting about Harbor Moon is its successful usage of old formulas. It’s almost impossible to tell a story in the dark fantasy or horror genre without invoking the feelings of isolation and claustrophobia; that’s exactly why so many stories have lone and troubled heroes roaming around haunted houses and ghostly towns. They’re alone and susceptible to danger, and therefore, we as the readers are as well. Writers Colucci and Ornekian both flawlessly create this vital atmospheric element: Harbor Moon as a place is constructed from a classic formula, but one that exists on its own terms.
When Harbor Moon isn’t trying to invoke fear, it’s tapping into the instinctual nature of man...
Artist Pawel Sambor’s work on this book is inspirational. His illustrations oftentimes look like conjurations of the blackest sorcery, and I have not been this impressed by the use of color in a comic book since Nektarios Chrissos and George Martzoukos’ Aposperos back in March. There are certain shots that are simply spellbinding, such as a full-page panel of Tim searching the abandoned home of his father: it’s an image of heavy shadows broken with the orange glow of a flashlight. It’s so effective that I could feel the heaviness of the air right alongside Tim. There are also several pages that mimic a tattered history book chronicling the founding of Harbor Moon. These pages demonstrate better than any other the depth of imagination the creators have brought to the book. All of this is controlled by masterful panel constructions that look like they were laid out by a pro.
This is Ryan Colucci’s first comic book, and one that he’s credited for co-writing, editing, and even producing. That’s code for financing the book, which I’m sure was no small bill. Aside from the content, the physical book itself is of the highest quality—it’s simply beautiful. It’s not a standard 10 x 7 size, but rather a larger 10 x 8 book with amazing production value in terms of paper and ink quality. If this is Colucci’s first comic, I can only imagine what his future books will be like.
In addition to the Colucci, Ornekian, and Sambor, there are a few other collaborators that made Harbor Moon possible. The book is based on a story developed by Brian Anderson, Karol Wisniewski served as the art director, and Nikodem Cabala worked with Sambor as the supporting artist. This team pulled together a genuinely impressive piece of work, something that is always a delight to find in the small publishing scene. Harbor Moon is one of the year’s best independent comics.
Review by Steve Surman.
