Welcome to Ralton, a comic book by local Oklahomans Don Rosencrans and Cole Johnson, is a humorous urban fantasy epic in the style of Dragon Ball Z. While the work seems promising, this first venture into the series feels rough.
The story centers on a young man with a mysterious past and an even more mysterious growth on his chest. It opens with our hero beating a “lowlife” for unknown reasons while a narrator explains how he first met him. The narrator continues by flashing back to a time before the hero was attacking random villains.
Here we find that he has a pregnant wife and a daughter. They meet a demon in a mall that the hero begins punching for some reason. The demon invites him to an island outside of town that the hero obliges and joins him.
While this could be a good set up for a series it just feels unrefined. The dialogue feels stilted and stiff at times and natural at others. Combined with the uneven art quality the comic was not a “wow-er”.
That being said, Welcome to Ralton is an intriguing start to what could be a great series and it will be interesting to see where the story goes. With the sheer number of mysterious things and colorful characters it is sure to please martial arts comic fans.
This comic does have a wide range of great characters (the wife in particular was interesting).The demon plays on old tropes but comes off as fresh and interesting. The art, while sometimes awkward, is well done. In fact the biggest let down for the art is that there is not more of it on the cover.
The only real issue this comic has is that it feels unrefined. Every element of a great series is present but it just needs to “find its feet.” Welcome to Ralton is an entertaining blend of action, mystery, and humor. This is one series you will want to watch out for!
I award Welcome to Ralton, Issue I three out of five dancing hamsters! I am holding one rodent hostage for a better cover and the other in hopes that the creative team will refine their work into something spectacular.
You can find copies of Welcome to Ralton online at Literati Press or in store at New World Comics. While you are there make sure to check out other local works such as Eggs, Wonderboy, and Knuckleheads.
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