Support by buying at your local comic shop http://www.findacomicshop.com/ or purchase a digital copy.

• Price: $25.00
  
• Pages: 112
• On Sale: May 18, 2018
• Writer/Artist: Ben Rankel
• Publisher: Renegade Arts Entertainment

From the Publisher – A lost love, a murder, and a mountain that walks.
A historical mystery set in the tragedy of the Frank Slide, one of Canada’s deadliest natural disasters. Eve Lee is in a self-destructive spiral—her big plans for a new life in Frank have not at all turned out how she had planned. As Eve hits the bottom she’s forced to confront her expectations when her former lover disappears under questionable circumstances. But is there something sinister at play or is she simply being obsessive and self-centred? And will she be able to put her past behind her before she finds herself buried under it?

Our We Talk Comics WeView: Frank takes place in the village of Frank, Alberta, Canada. This real life town was buried in 1903 by a landslide that killed more than 70 people, as well as destroying the mine that provided the towns livelihood. Within this tragic backdrop is placed a fictional murder mystery that managed to pique my interest in the actual events that occurred that night while providing solid entertainment. Despite the fact that the characters are all fictional, I now have a desire to try to learn more about them by visiting their “home”.

I’ve known Ben Rankel for quite a while now, so I’m happy to say that his hard work and dedication on this project, literally years in the making, has paid off handsomely. Frank is clearly a labor of love and a terrific first graphic novel. It’s an engaging story that works well within the historical context, and it teases moments throughout that culminate at the climax. Impressively, Ben Rankel has also done this while managing to be as historically accurate as possible. Doing so not only with the locations, but also with the clothing and dialogue.

The characters in Frank are wonderful, filled with depth and color, they bring the story to life. There are some excellent facial expressions which do a great job of conveying emotions. The panels are often punctuated with things like light-bulbs above their heads, or question marks to help accentuate the moment. While this kind of touch may sound silly, the execution of it only adds to the nostalgic feel of the book.

Ben’s art has really grown since I first met him. I mentioned the facial expressions, but there is also a lot to be said about his layouts and the subtle nuances in character behavior. You don’t often think about the little things that people do, such as the way they touch their face or slouch, but thankfully Ben Rankel does. The coloring is also distinct, featuring a lot of yellows and purples which are interesting and unique, and that helps set the book apart visually.

One of the best things for me about Frank was the sense of innocence conveyed. It’s a little hard to describe, but it does a great job of walking a fine line between modern storytelling techniques while creating a comic that could have been made in another era, while still in no way feeling dated.

There is one thing though that did feel bit out of place for me. I’m a big Star Wars fan, just as Ben obviously is, but having a couple of guys named after characters from that franchise actually took me out of the story a bit. I’m generally a big fan of adding cute references to your favorite things, but a science fiction movie shout out in a turn of the century historical fiction novel felt somewhat odd.

Make no doubt though, Frank is a well told story with art that perfectly suits the book. As a character piece the effort is amazing, and it really makes me look forward to what’s coming next from Ben Rankel. I can honestly say that while it took some time to get Frank to the shelves, it was well worth it. I certainly hope everyone who’s interested in good characters takes the time to read Frank, because success couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Highly recommended.

Rating – Very Fine+ (VF+) or 8.5/10

Review by Brett

Love the review? Hate the review? Disagree with me? I’m happy to talk comics on twitter @Brett_WeTalk

Three great ways to subscribe to We Talk Comics now. Try us on iTunes. For those of you looking for an alternative we’re now available on Stitcher Radio. You can also check the show out on the versatile TuneIn radio.

And join the We Talk Conversation on Twitter @wetalkpodcasts. Plus give us a like now on Facebook.