Torment

Descension

Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
136 Pages
Reviewed on 04/07/2023
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Daniel Foster is a lifelong comic book reader and student of the sequential art discipline. After reading and drawing many of his favorite comics, he decided he had a story to tell. Despite having a full-time job as a software developer, being a father of twins, and having a crazy dog, he knew he wanted to get his story out there. Once he started it, he knew he had to finish it. After three years of work at the drawing table, Torment: Descension was finally completed.

Daniel’s greatest hope is the readers of Torment: Descension enjoy the book as much as he enjoyed creating it.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Comic book and graphic novel fans will enjoy Torment: Descension by Daniel Foster. Set to satisfy all of our appetites, this graphic novel follows the life of David Mills, whose wife Grace has just given birth to their first child, Matthew. David and Grace couldn't be happier to welcome Matthew into their hearts and home. But when Matthew develops a fever that refuses to go down, David begins to lose his semblance of normalcy. After a shocking visit from Satan, David unwittingly makes a deal with the devil to bring him souls to take down to the netherworld in exchange for happy and fulfilling lives for his son and wife. However, David's conscience becomes his biggest barrier to carrying out his tasks for the devil. To what lengths will David go to protect his family?

A riveting supernatural drama full of chilling thrills and nail-biting suspense, Torment: Descension is a stellar first installment of what promises to be a gripping series of graphic novels. Daniel Foster draws your attention from the first page onward with well-planned character development and beautifully sketched artwork that you simply can't stop admiring. The plot is well-paced, with timely-placed twists and turns that keep you invested as you breeze through the pages in eager anticipation of what's going to happen next. David is a layered protagonist with inner conflicts and a conscience that make him relatable to us. Comic book and graphic novel enthusiasts will love this one.

Essien Asian

The Mills family has finally been blessed with a baby. Their journey to that point had been fraught with personal struggles as well as the agony of loss, but through it all, they made new friends and stood together as one. When baby Matthew suddenly falls ill, they hope that it is nothing alarming until they get to the hospital and their worst fears are confirmed. All hope seems lost as the best efforts of the doctor only seem to delay the inevitable. With nowhere to turn and at the end of his tether, David Mills is offered a compromise from the most unlikely of sources. This gift comes with a condition, a burden that may cost him all he has built up over the years but then how far would you go for the ones you love? Discover David’s decision in Daniel Foster’s Torment: Descension.

Daniel Foster’s graphic novel is thought-provoking. Granted some of us have a habit of treating comics, as I prefer to call them, with a certain degree of disdain, but Torment: Descension is a completely different proposition. The storyline is as realistic as it comes right down to the difficult process of decision-making. The motives of the principal characters are as emotionally moving as they are puzzling. I was particularly impressed with the extent of the scrutiny that Foster subjects his characters to as they justify their respective positions. The pictures are striking with a good mix of colors that make them eye-catching. This is an interesting novel with an unusual plot that will immerse the reader almost instantaneously. I look forward to the sequel.

K.C. Finn

Torment: Descension is a work in the graphic novel, fantasy, and interpersonal drama subgenres. It was written and illustrated by Daniel Foster, with color by Gregory Ottaviani and lettering by Jimmy G. In this fascinating fantasy tale, we meet new parents, David and Grace, whose lives are turned upside down when their beloved new baby becomes deathly ill. Faced with a supernatural dilemma, David does some serious soul-searching as he wonders how far he might go to save his child. What follows is a classic tale exploring the nature of evil from an inventive modern fantasy perspective.

Daniel Foster has crafted an incredibly memorable and visually enjoyable work in this engaging, emotive, and often heartfelt graphic story. One of the first things that grip you is the emotional portrayal of Foster’s line drawing, which is angular and shaded in the right way to offer the maximum dramatic impact. The scene of David on his knees praying for a miracle stayed with me for a long time, especially when you see exactly who ends up answering these pleas and how that works out for him. In addition, I found the dialogue easy to follow and unique to each character, with dark and biting humor that often undercuts the seriousness of the plot to lighten the read and keep everything in balance. Overall, I recommend it as a highly accomplished read for fantasy and drama fans who will surely devour it eagerly.