Oni Press 2017
Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Robert Wilson IV
Background Assists by Gavin Guidry
Coloured by Nick Filardi
Lettered by Crank!
Absence makes the heart grow fonder and after spending the last several months avoiding her criminal past to try and build a normal life, Callie is fonder than ever. Forced to set her normal existence aside and break her anarchist pals out of a Canadian jail, Callie finds herself head over heels for her old life. When this one-time dalliance threatens to turn into a full-blown crime spree, Callie turns to the only person who will understand: Mercer.
Well Mr. Sebela you had me at hello and then you took my heart and twisted the heck out of it and I loved every moment of it. This issue was utterly fantastic as it weaves it’s way through Callie’s life in Canada and the whole idea that she’s gone straight. Callie is one hell of a creation and honestly when we finished the initial arc I thought okay what can he do next. Who knew it’d be run to Canada, establish a new identity and try to be normal as she waits to die.
I want to talk about the events that we see unfold here but I can’t because it would simply spoil anyone’s attempt at reading it for themself. This is one of those that you want to talk about because it’s not only incredibly original but it’s so freakin well done that it almost defies explanation. The way that Christopher tells Callie’s story of her time so far in Canada and why she is working at a bookstore and going to school are among those moments that you look at and think how many in my life right now are up to this kind of thing? Suddenly everyone you slightly know is a suspect in living double lives and there’s an insane need to find out. Seriously this is crazy stuff that once it gets into your system there’s no turning back.
Robert lays down the work here that is so much fun to see. I love the crazy almost all-ages style work to go along with this kind of story. Then there’s the hairstyles and fashions that he brings back and it becomes kind of this whole aww I remember when. He’s got such a great solid eye for storytelling and the flow through the page layouts through their angles and perspective is so good. Even the use of backgrounds here makes me delighted. With the Roberts laying it down and the guys finishing it it’s really a treat.
If you want to introduce someone to one issue of someone’s work that would cement for them the understanding of why you love them and what they do it would have to be this issue. For me there isn’t anything better as Callie has to come to grips with the fact that she’s not on a real timeline for how long she’s going to live, the heart transplant was only supposed to extend her life five years is what she was told. That of course led her to have an imaginary love with the guy who’s heart it was that led her to a life of crime. Also Mercer yeah she needs to get over the imaginary lover things it’s kind of weird and creepy but I guess essential to understanding who she is at the same time.
This issue fleshes out Callie as a person better than I think anyone else has been able to do in recent memory.