String, penned by Paul Tobin and brought to life through the illustrations of Carlos Javier Olivares is an intriguing and thrilling tale that combines mystery, science fiction and stunning visuals.
Yoon-Sook Namgung is a 25-year-old Korean-American woman with the remarkable ability to see two types of “strings” connecting various people. The first is blue and stretches between sexual partners. The second-dark black-connects murderers and their victims. If you have a murder that needs solving, Yoon can help. Worried your partner is cheating on you? Yoon can literally SEE the connections. Yoon’s life-for all the drama and constant TMI-is good, at least until the day she notices a string, a BLACK string, connected to… herself! This means she’ll either soon murder someone, or be murdered herself! So…dang. Which one?
The storytelling from Paul Tobin shines through once again in String. His ability to craft tales that on the surface may seem like we have heard before, but is able to twist them just a bit to create a truly unique and wonderful story. Additionally, his decision to weave in flashbacks to tell the origin story of Yoon-Sook Namgung’s abilities without resorting to a cliché storytelling. This allows us to jump right into the debut issue with gusto.
Carlos Javier Olivares’ illustrations add to the story at hand. Olivares’ artwork brings every page and panel to life with a real feel of emotion and tension. The visualization of the strings Namgung sees is particularly noteworthy; they are depicted with thoughtful detail that makes them integral yet subtle elements within each scene. Carlos captures not only the physical aspects but also manages to convey the emotional weight carried by these connections, whether between sexual partners or murderer and victim. Not to mention the wonderful colors by Sara Colella and letters by Taylor Esposito.
As Yoon grapples with her ability and newfound predicament—a foreboding black string linking her fate—we are kept on edge to find out what happens next in the miniseries. Tobin and Olivares set up a tale that is intriguing and one that will have me counting down the weeks until the next issue drops.
String #1 by writer Paul Tobin and artist Carlos Javier Olivares was a fun debut issue filled with mystery, suspense and a unique tale. The colors from Sara Corella and letters from Taylor Esposito just add to the beautiful pages that within the first issue. We can expect more of this as the series moves along. String is one of those comics you won’t want to miss.
String #1 hits local comic shops on November 13, 2024 from Mad Cave Studios.
String #1 Preview
