When it comes to the strange, dark world of fiction, Dark Horse Comics is one of the few publishers out there that constantly impress and constantly work at expanding and offering new refreshing titles. I missed the first initial run of Dark Horse’s mystery piece, Echoes, but I had the chance to catch up this morning, and I’ve got to say, I started my day on a high note.

This is a time traveler’s tale if ever there was one. Fred Martin had a tough upbringing, dealing with extensive abuse and the typical bout with poverty. Fred’s stepfather is the greatest thorn in the lives of this tortured mother and child, but all that will take on quite the transformation soon, when Fred finds himself back in time, staring at himself as a child.

This isn’t the first time I’ve praised Mike Richardson, and it won’t be the last. Richardson pens an amazingly personal story. He lays this universal foundation down, and then he proceeds to build the story with elements that echo some of the things a lot of us have dealt with while growing up. The influence of the story really has a chance to be heavy, and having grown up in a fairly tumultuous home, there’s a lot in this story that I can relate to. The sadness is masterful, and the book, from start to finish, is nothing short of brilliant.

But Richardson isn’t the only key component to this story. Gabriel Guzman puts vision to paper, and it’s nothing short of A-caliber work for every frame. He creates very distinct, impossible to confuse characters. He hits the background details (there’re a few beautiful frames featured early in the story where we see Fred Martin as a boy, hunkered in a closet, and there’s so much detail in this captivating frame that I think I stared at it for a good three minutes) just enough to further draw us in. Sometimes it’s the little thing that counts, and Guzman gets it.

Technically, it doesn’t get much better than Echoes.

I love a lot of Dark Horse books. A lot of them. Echoes, after a thorough read, has leapt into a high-ranking slot in my mind. This is a stellar piece of artwork, and it’s guaranteed to grab anyone interested in reading it.

You can order the book right here.

Rating: 5/5