Skybound/Image Comics 2014
Created & Written by Joshua Williamson
Created & Illustrated by Andrei Bressan
Coloured by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Pat Brosseau
So this remains at the top of my likes list and this issue keeps delving further and further into what happened to Mikey in Terrenos through the eyes of those around him. We open with Rya and Wendy being held by Mastema as she wishes to know why they were looking for her and about Mikey himself. What we learn through these women is as complex and complicated as the story itself. While Wendy knows its her son she still has a hard time accepting that this grown man is her baby. It takes being this vulnerable to really admit that and while we’ve seen her grow this is the most i’ve felt for her yet.
Rya’s tale of Mikey arriving and growing up to become the warrior he was touted to be really opens up a new avenue for the character. I love that his wide eyed innocence and love for his family seem to have gotten lost along the way. Growing up that way knowing you carry such a burden on your shoulders isn’t easy and i’m beginning to see why he’d succumb to having that nevermind as a part of him. While we’ll never know the whole truth until Mikey himself tells the truth these snippets are a great way to really flesh out so much we’ve not seen.
Joshua’s such a good writer and he’s gotten so much better over the years and the transition between the women and boys is flawlessly executed. Seeing Mikey being attacked and Brennan unable to help is great. The changes that boy has been through, well both but I mean Mikey, as we see him go up against Kylen’s forces. Gosh the way that whole thing plays out is utterly amazing though I really wish Brennan would’ve been able to really give at least one of those men a what for, after all this time he’s due.
Okay so Sameal’s big reveal while not unexpected is more than a pleasant surprise and adds a whole new dimension that will shake things to their core. I can’t wait to see how next issue goes after that! Meanwhile poor Kylen seems to fairing on Earth just as well as he did on Terranos and well I can’t wait to see him get angrier and sloppier and come after the women in order to draw the boys out. Okay yes that’s what i’m hoping for and it isn’t outside the realm of reason but knowing Joshua i’ll have to wait and see cause i’ve been wrong too many times when I think something is going to happen a certain, or hoped, way.
I hadn’t thought it would be possible for Andrei to get any better but as this series progresses so does his work. I marvel at what he does on the page issue after issue and with the colouring from Adriano it just comes together perfectly. The mix between fantasy, horror and reality become so blurred here it’s truly a treat to see.
This is one of the most imaginative and unexpected series being published today.