Hornsby & Halo starts with a classic premise: A switch at birth. To broker a peace deal between the realms of the–well, you already may have guessed that the angelically good child goes to the devilish tribe, and the demonic spawn lives with the cherubic host family who raise the two without revealing who they are. It’s nurture versus nature in the ultimate grudge match! And as if turning teen isn’t tough enough, these two have no idea who and what they are. Hey–doesn’t that sound familiar? Teens? Great for energy and vitality. Self-knowledge for sure: on the installment plan. Can you imagine not feeling like everyone else? And you’re right! And we all feel like that! Oh, the irony.
Good and evil: your family and mine, too
Let’s appreciate this detail. For anyone who ever felt, even for a minute, that they didn’t fit in with their family of origin, Hornsby & Halo is for you. For anyone who has ever fought an inner battle between their more earthy, physical, and adventurous desires and the better angels of our nature, this may resonate with about everyone.
In the final analysis of nature vs. nurture of how our environment, opportunities, guidance, and family, community, and societal values interact with our natures, it’s fitting that Hornsby & Halo fall under G.M.’s “Family Odysseys” branch of the family tree of historical, bizarre, astounding, mysterious, and supernatural stories. It’s Good vs. Evil getting down and arm wrestling in the dirt and rocks in the garden as conceived by the team of Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Super Sons) and Peter Snejbjerg (Starman, B.P.R.D.)!
It takes a team–a super team!
It takes a team to make a comic. Many elements make up a great comic, including theme, plot, narrative arc, and character development. Then, my friends, there are the vital, joy-giving arts of coloring and lettering. With Hornsby & Halo, the design feels timeless yet contemporary. Let’s share some love and thank John Kalisz for being the person with the conceptual crayons. Honors go to Rob Leigh for the classic art of lettering. So it was good to read, “I loved the approach to the coloring (especially in the third act), and the lettering added a whole new layer to the tone of the book,” as Matt Sernaker noted in comicsonline.
The origin story
Decades ago, in the dust of time, Image Comics was conceived by the stardust and star power of top-drawing (that’s a pun) Marvel artists who went rogue with creator-owned comics. Now, Image has given birth to Ghost Machine Comics. G.M. has talent from some incredible (un)usual suspects, and Geoff Johns, DC Chief Creative Officer, is the driving G.M. force in the creator-owned comics’ universe. G.M.’s creators include Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter Tomasi, and Maytal Zchut. These creatives now enjoy loyalty to the family of Ghost Machine.
