BOOM! Studios 2021
Written by LaToya Morgan
Illustrated by Walt Barna & Moisés Hidalgo
Coloured by A.H.G.
Lettered by Andworld Design
Does even the kindness of strangers come with a cost?
Avery has adjusted to his post WWII life in Alabama but when an altercation with some local boys leaves him hurt, an unlikely bystander steps in. And while Carlisle, a white university doctor, not only offers Avery immediate first aid but free ongoing medical care... nothing is truly free, not even a stranger's kindness.
I am super intrigued by this story so far. Also while I understand that this makes me uncomfortable because of the racism we see, which can be delicate at the best of times, is so in your face. I understand, unfortunately, that this time in American History that this behaviour was all too common but that doesn’t make it any easier to see one human being treat another this way and yet at the same time it is integral to the story itself that we see this happen. Without it I am not sure the variance would’ve happened and that is a huge part of the story. So I applaud Latoya for being so unapologetic in how she is telling this story and how damn powerful it becomes in the process.
I am very much immensely enjoying the way hta this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is impeccably rendered. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continues to flesh the characters out into those we can relate to or empathise with. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story the more engaged and invested we become in it.
I appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. It is within these layers where we see the backstory, the characterisation and twists & turns happen with so much other finer details. What all these do is add such wonderful depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.
The interiors here are absolutely stunning. The linework we see is exquisite and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create this level of detail work throughout is astounding. The faces and facial expressions along with the body language really is sublime and helps to further the characterization. Now personally I wish we’d see more backgrounds being utilised for when we do they enhance and expand the moments perfectly. They also work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully rendered thanks to how we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.
Avery is a great character and he’s trying so hard not to rock the boat, what with a wife, a daughter and another baby on the way, that you cannot help but feel for him. He served his country and in return this is how he’s treated seems like a complete injustice. Part of me wants to befriend him and help him any way I can but I also have to remember this is a story and with the way this is written with this level & quality of writing & characterisation along with such sublime interiors can make you forget it is a work of fiction.