Image Comics 2019
Created & Written by Darcy Van Peolgeest
Created & Illustrated by Ian Bertram
Coloured by Matt Hollingsworth
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar
“Little Bird” as written on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
Axe leaves Elder’s Hope to destroy Northern Guard, and Little Bird is left behind to take out a small team of enemy soldiers when she stumbles upon a family secret that changes everything.
Someone must be out of their gol darn cotton picking mind! And if that doesn’t sum the thoughts going through my mind after having finished this issue then nothing will. I mean seriously I want swear a litany of words that would hopefully make the most hardened sailor blush. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, be outraged or simply frustrated and all of these different reactions which are coursing through me right now are a testament to way that this book is being written. Full credit where it’s due folks this book got under my skin faster than shredded wheat under dentures.
Let’s not kid ourselves either the way that Darcy has set the pacing for this story means that it feels as if it moves at lightning speed, even though the page counts remain the same. So it didn’t take long for a reader to get involved in what was happening and then the connection we make with Little Bird was pretty much immediate. All these factors and a few more meant that when we got to this issue and the crux of it we were going to feel the gamut of emotions like being hit by a semi at top speed. The entire way that this story is being told is damn near impeccable to see. From the way this is structured with it’s story & plot development, characterisation and pacing it was obvious from the first couple of pages that this was going to be something extraordinary.
As characters are introduced and their role in the drama we see unfold more and more the thought of the Vatican and it’s practises make me angrier. I know when the American continent was being settled the church and Europe in general were ruthless in their efforts to gain land and resources and thought nowt of the indigenous population. Between disease and the wholesale slaughter of those who wouldn’t convert well we see how that plays out here in these pages as one could only imagine it had in the past.
Then add into this mix Ian’s interior artwork. His style is uniquely his and the linework is gorgeous and full of perfect examples of how utilising the varying weights to create this attention to detail should be done. From the wilderness to the gleaming technology the Vatican has at it’s disposal we see such a wide range of imagery and regardless of where it is it strikes a chord within the reader. There are these moments when we see the faces and bodies of these people and I am reminded of the great illustrator’s, storytellers of years gone by, and to see the influences in this work just makes the bond I feel that much stronger.
The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show off a magnificent eye for storytelling. The utilisation of backgrounds here is perfectly suited to the moments where they make the most impact and provide this size and scope of this world. Then there is the colour work. This is some really innovative and interesting use of colours. From old worn out clothing to the sleek shiny metals or the green in the trees and grass all of it has a purpose behind it.
If the final two issues are going to be anything like we’ve seen then I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find this title and these creators on the awards nominations lists next year.