
Aftershock Comics 2017
Created & Written by Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated by Eric Gapstur
Coloured by Rob Schwager
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
Different cities, different creatures, different reasons for doing what they do that is a normal society. The only difference here is that the new city building is being done by the animals. This is Wintermute’s city and make no mistake this isn’t the land of the free or home of the brave. This is a new reality where new rules are in place. If you don’t work you don’t eat, and even then the rations are enough to really feed anyone. There is dissent ion among the refugee’s and the city is growing way too fast for the resources available.
This issue focuses on a set of sisters that came to the city and one of whom works for Dr. David. The girls set off fireworks or ammunition of sorts to garner attention to themselves. I have to say it’s nice to see Gwen leading the refugee’s with Penelope and Mya. We also for the first time see the process they go through to even get into the city. Honestly I wasn’t prepared for expecting to see what they go through and the fact that Marguerite can continue to surprise me with the way life is unfolding here is magnificent.
I love that we focus on the sisters who named themselves after Roman Empresses. The sisters are Kangaroo Rat’s just in case anyone is wondering. I think that focusing on different species that we’ve met even peripherally and showcasing them and their importance and acceptance in the grand scheme of things is such a great way to do things. If this is going to be the theme of this series I’m all for it or even if this is going to be something that happens here and there then I’m okay with that too.
Eric has a great eye for storytelling here as well. The way he can bring these animals to life is extremely nice to see. It’s important at least to me that they do come across as accurate and believable otherwise it’s just another morphing of species and that isn’t what this is all about. The way page layouts are utilised through their angles and perspective are well done and help the ebb & flow of the story. Oh backgrounds, backgrounds, backgrounds I'm torn here between how the used and how they aren’t. Simplistic yet impactful I guess you could say though really the attention to detail in them is what brings things to life in my eyes.
I have to say that I loved the structure of the story here. The way it flowed and the way that we saw things unfold all of it had this very natural feel to it. Following the girls around from the start and how tight a family unit they are is amazing. As we see the girls get assigned work and get those feelings of importance we see their characterisation develop. So by the end of the issue what we see happen is something that not only they but we needed to see. There is this whole dynamic that is forged here that is impossible to describe and yet easy to point out and that’s what makes Marguerite and her writing so special.
As the world continues to grow and expand it’s stories like these that help find the good and positive in what has happened instead of focusing on the wars that ensued. Don’t get it wrong there is war coming to this city as well only it’s going to be fought on multiple fronts. Still this is a different perspective on what is going on in this world and that makes it a unique and exciting compliment to the main series.