Aspen Comics 2015
Written by J.T. Krul
Penciled by Alex Konat
Inked by Julie Salvatierra & Mark Roslan
Coloured by Juancho
Lettered by Josh Reed
Cassidy journeyed with Miya, Lily and their warrior tribe to Johannesburg, South Africa, although the group’s intent there still remained a mystery to the young teenager. Yet there was one terrible discovery in store for all of them--as Maddix and his determined S.W.A.T. Unit superseded their jurisdiction and arrived on the scene to apprehend them--or worse…
I’m a huge fan of this iteration of the series. It takes this great look at those opposing factions in a way that allows new readers to get involved while longtime Soulfire fans get to revisit this world. J.T. is probably one of the most underrated writers in the business and the characterization and set-up of what he’s doing here makes me excited to see more. Last issue the S.W.A.T. unit invaded Johannesburg and found Cassidy’s group and that’s where we pick up here.
There’s nothing like a trial by fire and we see Cassidy scared, frightened and unsure of herself as her new friends are being attacked. Yet when Lily gets attacked and hurt she doesn’t hesitate to leap into action to aid her and finally we see this young woman begin to emerge from her shell and embrace who she’s become.
We’ve been wondering when Taki was going to stand his ground after seeing him struggle with the decisions of his team. Cassidy is just a high school student thrust into this world and he empathizes with her situation. So what are the implications of his actions this issue and will Miya trust him and accept his help or will this lead to yet another complication? I know where I stand on the issue but i’m not writing this so i’m interested to see how J.T. deals with this situation moving forward.
This issue we also see the result of Miya’s obsession with her father’s skull. It always seemed odd that she kept it I mean it’s not really normal. Missing your father is natural but to carry around his skull as either a reminder of your purpose or something else is something that quite honestly can never end well. When you factor in what we learn she’s planning on doing with it and that it should’ve been something done by her alone this while a shocking development isn’t a real surprise.
Next issue is the final chapter in this story and we’ll see what the fates have in store for Miya, Cassidy and the others. Personally i’m of two minds because one I can’t wait and two I don’t want this to end so hopefully there’ll be another limited series run quickly following this one.
The interiors here are pretty spectacularly done as well. Alex can still manage to infuse his style of work with what Turner originally brought us to create a beautiful world. Then there are those pops of colour in the hair, wings and use of magic/technology that really make things stand out. The characters are wonderfully descriptive in their looks, emotions and feelings. The page and panel layouts showcase the pacing of the story nicely and the attention to detail helps a reader get lost in this world.
Aspen has some incredible talent and wonderful stories to tell. The ever changing, growing and expanding worlds they’ve created continue to capture the imagination in the most beautiful of ways.