Disney Kingdoms: Seekers Of The Weird #1

Writer Brandon Seifert Artist Karl Moline

 

Introduction

 

If Disney was ever going to something absurd like produce a comic book based on their actual park, up and coming talent Brandon Seifert and Karl Moline is the right talent to assign to the book. Moline has been sorely missing from the comics industry since the excellent mini-series Fray written by Joss Whedon. While, Seifert has been making waves across the industry with his Witch Doctor comic book series. The writer and artist both should have something to contribute to the strange premise that seems like it is only flooding an extremely crowded market. Hopefully, this title is made to sell to a different demographic then the main comics buyers. The Museum Of The Weird that this book is loosely based on was a movie project that Disney never quite got off of the ground, which started as a Haunted Mansion addition that was never constructed. However, this comic does indeed exist.

 

Writing

 

Melody and Maxwell’s adventure into what the secrets lay behind the magic shop where they work makes for an enticing comic book. More importantly, author Brandon Seifert has the business sense to let this be a showcase for the extremely impressive artwork of Karl Moline. He provides just enough banter to keep the story moving forward in a brisk pace, and the imagery of the Haunted Mansion is integrated quite well in a manner that will make people wonder why this supposed film was not green lit by anyone. The surprises that sweep in towards the third act of the story unfold at a moment that seems like it complements the story just right. Even if this tale is based on a gimmick, it is one that is well executed and worth your time.

 

Art

 

Moline has such a great eye for world building and pencilling in just the right amount of detail. The lacrosse imagery towards the beginning should entice readers and show the Moline really understands the sport. His clean and precise linework should astound fans of great comic art. The penciller also makes the most out of every face that he draws in the story, there are no boring talking heads at any moment in this story. Character designs are also extremely well handled, with costumes for each character dynamically changing in some interesting ways throughout the story. When the comic dives into the surreal, it does so with with extreme grace. Moline proves he is an extremely capable artist, and draws some fascinating creatures loosely based on the Haunted Mansion rogues. All of the numerous splash pages are also a wondrous showcase of Moline’s awesome talent.

 

Conclusion

While readers may not need to rush out and buy this story immediately, it is better than many are going to expect. Author Brandon Seifert does a great job stepping out of the way and letting Karl Moline go insane on pencils. The imagery mixed with the impressive Fray artists visuals are more than enough to tell you that you need to take a look at this comic book.