Sparks (Glenn Matchett and Kell Smith - Illustrator)

Synopsis:
Sparks is a one shot crime comic with a twist published by Nemesis Studios. It follows London Private Investigator Melanie (Mel) Sparks as she investigates the horrible murder of a famous actress. It seems that Mel may be the only girl for the job but sometimes nothing is at it seems and surprises can come from anywhere. Created by writer Glenn Matchett and artist Kell Smith

Review:
I got this ebook from the author in return of an honest review. 
When opportunity arose to review this comic I was absolutely thrilled. The concept just grabbed me and there was something about Mel's face on the cover that made me think I was in for a surprise. I couldn't have been more right.
I have to be honest, when I started it and realised it was only 26 pages long I was rather worried that it might end up being underdeveloped or rushed, but that was part of the plot twist. The story developed like a movie in my head, with every plot device being used in the best way possible to engage the reader for the few minutes it takes to read it. Even though I wish it had been more than that, I didn't feel like there was anything missing from the reading experience, in fact, I felt like the story had been told exactly as it should, as it was meant to. That's a feat, in my opinion.
As for the more specific aspects, I thought the combination of the writing and the art was executed perfectly, each page more delightful and dramatic than the previous one, never failing to deliver the sense of thrill and adventure mysteries need. Matchett's use of humour and character development was used to accentuate each one of Smith's lines, complementing each other into a fantastic story.
Although I had hoped the illustrations would be in colour, as I got further and further into the story I realised that wouldn't have mattered, because the final product was still executed remarkably well, and it just goes to show that colour doesn't mean anything when a comic has this much soul and thought in it.
Unfortunately, I can't talk about the ending without spoiling potential readers, obviously, and not knowing what's coming is part of the excitement, but I can say this: as I saw that read page count going up and the remaining pages getting lower, I feared the conclusion had been too convenient and rushed. If you think this too, keep reading, until the very last page. If you don't mind a kind of spoiler, but kind of not: Marchett found a way to create a plot twist comparable to the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Kind of. And Kell Smith added images to that.
As mainly unknown authors I really want to support, I can't recommend Glenn Matchett and Kell Smith's Sparks enough and I hope this review convinced you to give it a try, because there's nothing better than meeting new authors and finding new awesome comics along the way. I hope to see more of Mel in the future and more people excited to see more of Mel in the future.