I’ve been going to Cons for about 10 years now and have met some really great people. Last year at Wizard World: Chicago had the great pleasure of meeting Sean O’Reilly and the folks at Arcana Studios. Sean is currently working on his creator owned book Kade. The quick and dirty sum-up of Kade comes from the back cover of the book:

” It was the coldest winter the land had felt in years when Kade was born. The day after his birth he was abandoned in a deserted alley, and left to die. By chance a young monk was walking down the alley, found this baby and rushed him back to the temple. He was nourished back to health but there were some features that were unique with this young infant. For one, his skin was opalescent white, which was in direct contrast to his hair – coal black. Also, this small baby didn’t respond to touch.”

This is a very solid story in a great looking book. O’Reilly does a great job balancing the dialog and story text that a story like this requires while leaving room for Artist/Inker Allan Otero and Colorist Steve Cobb to create great the stunning art a story like this requires. And boy-howdy did this art really work. Otero and Cobb create a visually rich world that reminds me of a mix between Ed McGuinness and Joe Madureira. The inks and colors are stunning.

Grade: B+