Image Comics 2018
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Stephanie Hans
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Designed by Rian Hughes
“FANTASY HEARTBREAKER”
Part Four Our heroes reach the civilization of Glass Town and do what heroes have always done upon reaching civilization. As in, go to the pub. As it’s DIE, you can guess people don’t exactly get happy drunk.
It may have been a while since they were kids and in this world but that doesn’t mean the world has forgotten them. One of the more intriguing aspects of this book is that we saw them leave, we saw them return and then we saw them taken once more. What is the intriguing part is that we don’t know what happened to them when they were gone, so all that is still be fleshed out and as situations arise Kieron can kind of insert past encounter here, so that everything makes perfect sense. We get to explore this world in the past, present and future alongside everyone else for the first time ever. I mean how much fun does that sound? Oh yeah and this is the reason why most DM’s tell you to create a backstory for your character before starting the adventure heh.
I really like the way that this is structured. The ebb & flow of the story, how information is revealed and the more fun subtle moments that for me make me smile. Kieron obviously is passionate about this book and he’s having one hell of a good time telling it which oozes off the pages like some sort of disease that you want to possess. The more you read about these characters and the lives they are living, once again, the more you want to know pure and simple. This is why Kieron’s writing shines like a damn lighthouse out to the sea. It draws you in, keeps you interested and circling all the while engaging your mind with a kind of fill-in-the-blanks book of what happened. Actually is bloody genius is what it is and how it’s done.
Stephanie’s interiors here continue to blow me away. The colours and how they work, swirl and just seem to have this solidity to them that defies expectations. Also without what I would consider traditional linework to create some attention to detail alongside these lovely delicate small linework it just mixes to bring this to life beautifully. It feels like everything here is more suggestive than actual and it evokes feelings and emotions in ways that utilise the colour work to enhance those feelings. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show us this marvellous eye for storytelling. Normally I would be advocating to see more backgrounds being utilised but somehow the creativity and imagination that we see serves to really complete the overall tone, mood and feel that we need.
The characterisation here is sensational. The bits and pieces that we do get are usually from those around them, mean each other, or through the situations that they find themselves in and it’s these really help us see them as they do. Although I am awaiting the time that we get to see and learn what does make certain characters tick. The pacing is extraordinary as just the way that the story moves forward keeping the reader involved while seemingly giving nothing away feels at odds with the logical side of my brain.
Sometimes the perfect storm hits and is here before you understand it. This may just be one of those times and if things keep on progressing the way they have been then I think this might be worth more than it’s weight in gold. Strong, powerful and beautifully illustrated this seems to not only defy expectation but logic as well at times. There is a reason this is flying off the shelves and it’s reprints are as well, if you haven’t discovered the magic yet, then what’s holding you back?