Aspen Comics 2015
Created, Written & Illustrated by Peter Steigerwald
Journal Font by Josh Reed
Minalara has done what she was asked to do by Berm and find Abros. Initial encounters can be very revealing and this one was interesting. Mainly because Ty knew of her by reputation and that his mother used to listen to her records while Abros there’s more here than meets the eye let’s say that. Plus Spot as an animal and darn cute at that probably is a keen judge of character, most animals are, and he instinctively likes Ty. Even with his father’s warning against it.
While we’ve seen father and son together it’s a meeting like this that really let’s us gauge their personalities. This isn’t the hunt or alone time grieving for a lost wife/mother this is the real world and how they act here reveals more about them. I like the polar opposites of their natures, the outgoing eager to learn versus the jaded controlled and suss it out till i’m sure it’s safe way of seeing things. Also Ty’s inquisitive nature and thirst for learning as we see from the onset is a refreshing change of pace from sullen teenagers bucking against authority.
This all goes back to Quarec as well. It’s Abros’ crew Berm was running when his accident happened and well as the two play catch up with Ty listening in we as readers to get see and learn how Peter’s mind works. His visuals are stunning, the colour blends and the composition are lovely. The moments the ship blurs in the air gives off a sense of movement as it crosses the landscape. Plus it’s just in his wheelhouse as the mood, tone and creativity on display takes you to this alien place.
That we get to spend so much time with moving the story along through experiences being relayed and still get to a point where the tension rises and the stakes raised feels like an oversized issue when it isn’t. That’s a hard trick to pull off, giving us a lot of story in such a small amount of space. Sure it’s a bit wordy at times but ya know there’s nothing wrong with that because it’s fascinating and necessary stuff. It helps to complete the bigger picture, tie in the players and create this bond with them that we need to see.
There’s some nice misdirection and overconfidence in play here as well and I found that surprising and interesting to see play out. I like Abros’ go straight in they’re expecting us mentality compared to Min’s should we sneak. Though his point was valid I do think not enough planning or recon was done where they landed but then i’m not in that situation so what I would’ve done is a moot point.
While I love the two page spread and ultimatum I really would have liked to see a tad more of how Cevallo was able to get Ty to open the door and then what happened after. Sure the implication is there from mimicking Abros voice but I think it lost something leaving out the actual grabbing moment.
I’m a fan of the unique concept here and that it’s a whole different animal than what I was expecting. Not to mention the visuals we see on the page, which while incredible digitally in print it’s even more dynamic to see. It’s unique and fresh and new and the thought of getting to see animal life that’s never been thought of before while wrapped up in this power struggle makes this book a definite stand out from the crowd pleaser.