IDW Publishing 2019
Written by David M. Booher
Illustrated by Drew Zucker
Coloured by Vittorio Astone
Lettered by Deron Bennett
story so far:
Canto’s people are slaves—forced to feed the fires under Arcana for their masters. They have no names. They are forbidden from love. Their very hearts have been replaced with clocks. But Canto is different—he has a name given by his beloved. And when she is stricken down by a slaver, he knows he must find her heart to save her life. He now takes his first steps on a long journey...
This is such a great little story. This issue has an extremely interesting opening and one I hadn't expected to see. The duality of Canto an a little (human) sneaking around his town so the split screen style of storytelling takes this in a whole new direction. For me it suddenly feels like Canto is something of a bedtime story that is inspiring this boy to do what we see him and Canto doing. I don't know how I feel about that or if I am just jumping to conclusions and it's all in my head, which is quite possible.
The way that this is structured is sensational and the way that this being told has this incredible ebb & flow to how we see the story & plot development and the character development through the pacing. Seeing Canto begin his journey on the other side of the walls and learning just how fraught with danger the world really is and his having to rise up and overcome his own fears is kind of awe inspiring. His big friend who doesn't speak but just grunts yeah this guy has somehow follow Canto onto this journey. There is this whole power of friendship and not being alone to face the big bad world is very present in this story. I love seeing life lessons tied into the story it just gives that homey feel, to me, that makes you feel comfortable.
Let me tell you bout my best friend, yeah cheesy but true to how I feel. There is something special about the way Canto is seeing the world for the first time. The awe and wonder in seeing new things and having new experiences that touches the reader. How this journey is being shown is well conceived as we get to see much but we don't have to focus on every little thing that happens. This is the kind of pacing that comes with a limited-series run and it utilised here perfectly.
The interiors here are truly gorgeous. The linework is exceptional and the way that we see the varying weights utilised to bring out this stunning attention to detail just brings a joy to my face. Seriously the work is so good, it can show off the scary and the beautiful in the same ways and yet the vast different is great. The composition within the panels is stupendous work and the fact that we see backgrounds that are so integral to the story and expanding the moments and bringing us this size and scope to the book is outstanding. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show this seriously strong eye for storytelling. The colour work here is just as great. From the light inside Canto's helmet, around the mouth, to his buddy's unique characteristics and in the backgrounds while still able to show us the shading and shadows from light sources is so well executed.
This may be a book that is rooted in a fantasy look but the story is all too human. Love, friendship and the power to overcome anything and everything lays within each of us all you have to do is find it. Usually there is a catalyst that comes with the realisation but not always, just knowing you can overcome whatever obstacle in your way is all we need to know. There is that special something about this book that seeps into who you are and what you can become. This is high up on the recommended reading list here folks.