Vault Comics 2019
Written by Lonnie Nadler
Illustrated by Jenna Cha
Coloured by Brad Simpson
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
The storm continues to gestate. Lost in a wilderness known as The Green Ribbon, Eulalie is faced with an impossible decision: return home to a family that has forsaken her, or finish her journey to the northern town to deliver the mysterious package. She must decide wisely, for threats lurk behind every tree and the snow has an appetite of its own.
I love that we have such a choice today in what we read. This is a true cerebral and sophisticated read that you have to pay attention to or you'll lose the meaning. Which by the way, that meaning, is going to be slightly varied among everyone who reads this. I love, LOVE, this about the book because I love to get lost in a story and that my takeaway from it will different from yours. Lonnie is crafting a modern day classic in my humble opinion and it has all these delicious notes that separately may feel foolish but together create that masterpiece. Writing a story such as this is like baking, you have to have all the ingredients added at just the right moments to ensure the outcome is the desired one. Personally the marriage of words and pictures here is sublime.
The way this is being told is utterly brilliant to me. The story & plot development we see through the sequence of events and how the reader learns information is exceptionally well done. For a woman on a lone journey the diary is not just for her but the most effective tool in translating her feelings for the reader. The character development is fantastic! That journal does wonders and then to see how she acts and reacts to what is happening around her really helps to flesh her out as a person. The pacing is superb and the way it takes through the pages and shows the twists and turns that help in the creation of the books ebb & flow is marvellous. The way the book is structured and how it engages the reader, draws them in and captivates the imagination is stunning.
Jenna's work on the interiors here is beyond what one could hope for. The imagery that we see is so well rendered and compliments the writing in such symmetry that you'd think the same person had done both. The linework is exquisite and the way we see the techniques involved in bringing out this level and quality of attention to detail is divine. I love seeing crosshatching and how it's utilised within these pages. The way we see the woods and the trees in this frozen forest both up close and from afar capture the readers' imagination beautifully. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The composition inside the panels with the backgrounds showcase depth perception, scale and brings this size and scope to the book. The colour work is gorgeous. How we see the whites and blues with various hues and tones create the shading, highlights and shadows is sensational. That box she travels with or the glow from the fire are rendered so incredibly well.
The story is such that while I may not be sure what this creature is she's supposed to be delivering or why she's let it out of the box to begin with I am fully captivated and invested in what is happening within these pages. Through her own words we see her struggle with these questions and more and hoping to find answers as are we. This is under our skin as much as hers and it is what will keep us coming back for more, time and again. Will this mysterious stranger or the man laying seemingly comatose with eyes wide open hold any answers for her?
This will be one of if not the most intriguing and thought provoking experience you'll undertake and quite honestly I couldn't not being on this journey alongside Eulalie.