Aspen Comics 2019
By Siya Oum
Lettered by Dezi Sienty
| PREVIOUSLY |
Lola’s true mettle is revealed as she survived a grizzly bear attack in order to get word to the settlement about The Divide’s impending attack by the Suits. But, the respective tribes found it hard to collectively come together—even in the face of their own demise. Yet, no one person—or worse, animal—was free from death, as Lola’s cherished horse and companion, Cloud, was killed during the invasion…
This has become one of those go to series for me. What Siya has managed to create here is this amazing world where after an apocalyptic event civilisation still manages to survive in ways that feel and are familiar and logical. I love how we see a modern day class struggle infused with this thirst for power and the corruption that thirst brings with it. The complexity and the layering we see within the story with subtext and overtly it all has this marvellous air about it that captures the readers' mind and imagination in some truly beautiful ways. I was sad that it took me so long to discover this and now that I have I simply cannot get enough of it.
The way that this is being written is stunning. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well how the reader learns information is presented wonderfully. There is this style to the writing that allows the reader to see what they need to and not more so that we are as surprised alongside the characters when things begin to happen. It's one of the best ways for me to see a story because honestly I don't want to know too much ahead of time. The character development continues to impress me as we see how the circumstances and situations they encounter continue to flesh them out and shape who they are are. The pacing is fantastic and a it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way which of course keeps us guessing and wondering about what's to come while also helping create the ebb & flow to the story.
Sometimes you find a series that takes you by surprise as it seeps into your very being. This did that for me and I couldn't have been any happier about it happening either. I thought this was something else altogether and it just goes to show that “judging a book by it's cover” really is an actual thing. I really strongly urge you to find the first issue or trade and start reading one of the best books around.
The interiors are breathtakingly beautiful. The linework is mindbogglingly gorgeous and the way we see the attention to detail here is beyond phenomenal. Then add in the watercolour work and suddenly wood grain and the whole idea of gradation takes on new meaning. This is some hella talent going on within these pages and having my own original piece from her I can attest to the talent this young woman possesses. There is nothing about the work here that isn't superb the way that we see the backgrounds being utilised and how this brings us depth perception, a sense of scale and the overall size and scope to the book leaves me gobsmacked. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling.
There is a definite lacking of this kind of storytelling on the market right now and with the whole overtones of the wild west mixed with a post apocalyptic style future the world we see is beautifully rendered and the story itself is flawlessly told.