Image Comics 2017
Created & Written by Jay Faerber
Created & Illustrated by Sumeyye Kesgin
Coloured by Ron Riley
Lettered & Designed by Thomas Mauer
Last issue we learned that Amelia and DB ended up here from various points in human history that involved airplanes. While DB jumped out his plane by himself, yeah if you don’t know his story then your missing out on your education and need to look up who DB Cooper was and what he did, Amelia followed her navigator Fred through the light. They’ve ended up in this world that has strange beings and a ruler who is an evil dictator and thinks Amelia will be the cause of his downfall.
I have to admit that while both of these characters disappeared from the face of the earth mysteriously enough and both from a plane what Jay has decided to do with them is increasingly intriguing to me. I do think the characterisation here is fantastic and you can see through the interaction the true nature of the characters. DB will keep himself quiet and let Amelia take the lead if it gets him out of here although you can totally sense that if an opportunity arises he’s going to take it and make himself richer in the process, or more powerful depending on what that situation is.
We all know I'm a huge fan of using backgrounds at the point, if you are new to my reviews welcome. So when Sumeyye uses them to showcase this strange world or the mundane side of the castle and it’s insides it’s brilliantly done and its that I’d like to see more of. Sumeyye has a wonderful eye for storytelling and her linework is sublime whether it’s soft or hard it really blends together and makes a great impact. Plus her imagination and creativity that we see in this world and it’s denizens are a huge standout as well. I think she makes the perfect companion to Jay here in bringing this to life and her passion, talent and skill make her a bright force in the industry.
The idea here that this world is kind of under siege from Lord Kragen who seems to have immense power which he wields without mercy is a solid one that’s a tried and true tactic. So that Amelia and by extension DB have arrived to aid the local populace in retaking their world from this crazed dictator well it makes for a familiar story that can be told in a fresh new perspective. What is apparent is that this world brings you to it through that white light and regardless of when it takes you you appear in it when you are supposed to. There may be no rhyme or reason to it if Amelia disappeared in 1937 and DB in 1971 and both ended up here within days of each other is only a slight clue as to how this works.
Personally I have an inkling of an idea who this Kragen is but I’ll wait and see how this plays out and see if I'm even remotely in the ballpark of thinking along the right lines. That Jay is able to get the reader to think outside the box, literally when it comes to comic panels right, to explore history, look into the characters he’s using to get more familiar with them just goes to show how powerful and interesting his writing is and that even when not meant to be it can a huge teaching tool. After all how many folks have looked up who DB is since the first issue came out?
That we live in a time where companies like Image exist that enable creators to tell the stories they want to tell and connect with an audience who wants to read what they do is amazing. Thankfully the days of everything being the same are long gone and the medium has gone from spandex fantasy to tales of imagination and flights of fancy that are true literary marvels in their own right. I think Jays work is that latter category for me it’s a classic tale is being beautifully told.