Aftershock Comics 2017
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated by Eric Gapstur
Coloured by Rob Schwager
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
I am constantly in awe at the level of the work in this series. I mean this book focuses on Wintermute and the city she took, by force mind you, and has made herself the ruling Monarch. Make no mistake this is as far from a Democracy as one can get it’s like a Dictatorship however Monarchy makes it sound more palatable. Still this opens up a slew of avenues that Marguerite gets to explore, and us alongside her. So much more thrilling than I could have imagined and I have to admit it surpasses the original for me.
The way this book is structured is amazing to see it has this straightforward aspect going on with all the behind the scenes things that make it something else entirely. Think “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” and you’ll understand it’s all smoke and mirrors. Do what is necessary to make this city a viable place to live and don’t let people know just how dirty your hands are getting in the process. No one said building a civilisation was going to be easy and with limited resources at their disposal well one things for certain no one really knows just how hard it is to do Wintermute’s “job.”
The opening here is a great example of what I’m saying as Gwendolyn Yi, an impressive woman in her physicality, and her “team” have come to a gated community, golf course and country club where they’ve give the occupants time to accept a deal. Now instead they are being evicted from the land so the animals may farm it and grow food. They need to turn this grassland into farmland if they are going to have food so any means necessary right if talks fail use force. It seems to be a habit we’re seeing in this series so far, and I for one am certainly not complaining.
Meanwhile Penny and Octavia have to deal with the mess they’ve gotten themselves into. How Mr. Kazi and his minions at the restaurant and his enhancements, that so far we’ve seen only on Wintermute and her special squad, is coming to light. Not in the way I would have expected and this is why Marguerite writes such thrilling tales, she doesn’t do expected and instead keeps the reader on their toes. Not only that but her ability to structure a story like she does is so well done that the flow of how one section leads into another is brilliantly handled.
The interiors here are spectacular as Eric and Rob bring these characters to life. It isn’t easy making these animals suddenly act like humans with the appendages they posses and yet they make look easy. The way page layouts are utilised so that we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a strong well seasoned eye for storytelling. Adding in the cybernetic parts and the creativity and imagination are incredible! I love Mr. Kazi and how he looks and the attention to detail in him and everything else we see is a real treat for the eyes.
This is an amazing series that depicts the struggle of rebuilding a society from the ground up with only dwellings available. The parallels to human efforts with the same problems shouldn’t go unnoticed as just because animals now have the ability to speak and have risen up in revolt doesn’t mean they are any more well prepared for this. Needs far outweigh reason at times and the behind the scenes actions are something that make this as exciting as it is.