Written by: Glenn Møane
Art by: Tirso Llaneta
Published by: Mereno Press
Glenn Møane returns to the seedy world of low level criminals with a new one shot The Glory, billed as the first in the series of four. It follows two criminal friends meeting up after a long period of time apart. It’s a tightly written, interesting read and, like all good short stories, ends in a great twist.
I was very impressed by how quickly this comic managed to draw me into the story given the length. At no point does Møane beat you over the head with exposition or slow down the story to give backstory on its leads, instead it’s all weaved in naturally in how the characters interact and talk to each other. It draws you in as you try and piece together their history, without ever making you feel like you’re stuck outside the story looking in. It has a very immersive feeling that draws you in the more you read and is very skillfully done. I found my opinions on the characters shifting the more I learnt about them, with nothing really being as simple as it initially seemed. It’s a very compelling story of friendship and betrayal, even more impressive as it’s told in only 28 pages. If I have any complaints, it’s that occasionally Todd’s voice varied in terms of intelligence. It’s as if Møane understands his character and motivations, but struggled in finding his exact voice. It’s a very minor complaint however and didn’t really hinder the story in any way.
The characters themselves are otherwise very well portrayed, both through the writing and the art. They look distinctively different, and even the way the conduct themselves in their initial meeting tells you quite a lot about their differences. There’s an amazing level of attention to detail given to the characters’ body language and expressions, which is highly important given that this is a very character driven story. It definitely helped with sucking me into the story, and definitely made this feel like a very high quality and professional piece.
Any negatives I had with the story could likely just come down to nitpicks, as overall I was highly entertained by this short. The ending does come a little fast, but really that’s the same with most short stories. This was definitely worth the read, and is currently on Comixology for only £1.49, which I feel is definitely worth the price considering the length and how well put together this is. Møane has definitely improved his writing style since I last reviewed his work, and has definitely grown more confident in his writing style and voice, which is great to see as it’s a very interesting voice. I’m definitely excited for the other three issues if they can maintain this level of quality, and am able to give The Glory a very easy recommendation.
