Aftershock Comics 2016
Created & Written by Garth Ennis
Illustrated by Simon Coleby
Coloured by John Kalisz
Lettered by Rob Steen
I don’t see how anyone could not like and enjoy this series. It’s part history lesson part tale of acceptance, no matter what “group” you find yourself a part of it’s completely relatable to. What Garth manages to do with the dialogue between a father and son is so utterly amazing and makes me glad I have a relationship with my own father where this kind of conversation is possible. It proves that no matter what stage you are at in life you are never too old to learn something new of see things from a different point of view.
I sat mesmerize as I read each page and the tale of these black pilots continued to unfold before me. From facing blatant discrimination and their struggle for acceptance to seeing them bravely do their duty without rising to retaliation levels was somehow empowering. I think it was just as interesting to hear his story as it was seeing his son question certain things that were happening to him. To see how his father reacts and tells of being in the moment during all this is a lesson everyone can take away from. It also makes me think we’re raising a generation of weak children who don’t know how to adequately handle diversity and problems in their lives with maturity and grace.
There are moments in this story where you think a certain way, it’s very much evident in the son’s reactions, until you see that both sides are revealed. Jumping to a conclusion without all the facts is what leads to bad decision making. It’s also frustrating to see someone unwilling to do that and stick only to one side as a form of injustice. Regardless you will not walk away from any or all of these issues without feeling changed in some way shape or form.
Simon and John should be lauded and applauded for the work they are doing on this series as well. I mean the men look like everyday people whom we might dismiss or take for granted. The old uniforms are perfectly rendered and the flight scenes really do evoke the kind of emotions you need when reading this kind of tale. Plus subtle use of the rotors to show movement in an otherwise static medium was so well done.
Emotional, powerful and surprisingly current in what can learned from the story these folks are making one heck of a socially valuable story. The messages both overt and subtle are abundantly clear and this is the kind of work that will get a reader excited over not only history but what they can do themselves to effect change in their world.