Aftershock Comics 2018
Created & Written by Ted Anderson
Created & Illustrated by Jen Hickman
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
Everyone knows that the two greatest thieves in the city are the Moth and the Whisper. Very few know that the Moth and the Whisper disappeared six months ago. And what nobody knows is that the new Moth and Whisper are actually one person pretending to be both of them. One supremely skilled but uncertain young genderqueer thief: Niki, the child of the Moth and the Whisper. Niki has been trained by their parents in the arts of stealth and infiltration, but they’re still just a teenager, and now they’re alone, searching for their parents in a hostile cyberpunk dystopia. Corporations run the streets while crime lords like Ambrose Wolfe run the alleys—identity is a commodity and privacy is impossible. The truth about Niki’s parents and their disappearance is out there, but can Niki survive long enough to find it?
I got news for you all Aftershock is the place to be these days and these smaller press companies are leagues ahead of the supposed Big Two in terms of quality storytelling. Not only that but the ability to use characters from a diverse range like we are seeing is sensational and now kids can say he there’s someone out just like me they read about. This is how the future of the industry should look and it’s about time we started on our way to seeing it happen.
The opening for this book, nay series, is sensational and it does more than required of it. Not only do we get the overview of the series and how the Moth & Whisper fit into this world. No explaining how they came about their lifestyle just what it was, what it meant so as to draw you into the book and make you want to stay. That is exactly what it did for me and while I am not usually drawn to this style of artwork Jen makes this opening feel like an old film from the Rock Hudson era of romantic comedies.
The reintroduction however of the characters is extremely well done. I really enjoyed the whole thing where the Whisper returns and the men think they are so clever that when they get fooled well yeah that was one of the best scenes around. The way the book is structured and how it flows is very much reminiscent of old spy shows and films long before special effects took over and made everything seem mundane. It has that air of drama and suspense about it that I had thought that people had totally forgotten once existed.
I said earlier that Jen’s style was so well suited for the opening and as it turns out for the whole entire thing. I love what she brings to this and yes it has an almost all-ages feel to it and it’s very now in terms of style but it has so much more than that as well. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a strong eye for storytelling. The backgrounds being utilised here have this elevated quality to them that I adore, the paintings or example or the bunker they have a way of expanding the story. Now if only Jen will use them more because there really are too many panels where they aren’t used.
The story really is pretty magnificent and our lead character Niki well there is a lot to be explored with him. While he may be genderqueer we don’t know the specifics yet but from we see in this issue he’s at home in a female form as he is in a male form. I am going to look forward to not only seeing how he’s handled but how the reaction to him is perceived. So far mighty fine start and I think it’s only going to get better from here!