Image Comics 2019
Created & Written by Gary Whitta
Created & Illustrated by Darick Robertson
Coloured by Diego Rodriguez
Lettered by Simon Bowland
The opening here is absolutely stunning and the narration that goes along with it really does just bring us into this new reality beautifully. These guys really went above and beyond here with what they’ve done to bring this to life. I mean the work is so in sync and it is extremely exciting to see this happening and more so in the opening pages. Alright so this is a post apocalyptic future and the hows and whys of this are given to a degree and who these people and how they survive well the tips of the iceberg are showing but the rest is still beneath the surface. Which quite honestly I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
There are first issues and then there are first issues and if you understand what I am saying then you know this is the second of those. This issue is representative of what is possible when you do what you love and love what you do. It has all the information, mystery and intrigue that a reader wants so that it guarantees that they want more. It has that rare excitement that comes from reading it that captures the mind and imagination of the reader. Yes it has many of the aspects and tones of the classic tale but in all honesty this could be a whole new tale original in it’s own right and that’s pretty damn amazing if you ask me.
The way that this book is structured is amazing. The flow is superb and as we traverse the pages and even skipping ahead in the time line doesn’t interrupt anything. The story wouldn’t be the story if it had gone all the way from the beginning, well it would be but damn that would take time and honestly that’s exactly what flashbacks are for if they are needed. Personally I cannot wait to find out why Oliver is different even from the men who are raising him. We saw his mother and we saw her give birth to him and unless I miss my guess that she ended up here was intentional. It is a shame she died in childbirth but then he wouldn’t be an orphan, since we have not one clue as to whom his father is. I think that the way all of this is fleshed out through the writing is astoundingly good.
Darick is one of those gosh darned artists who is simply in a league of their own. The work here is stunningly gorgeous to look at it and the way he manages to get all this attention to detail on the page through the varying weights of the linework is awe inspiring to say the least. The way each panel is composed how ever inch of it is utilised to flesh out the scenes and the overall size and scope of the book as a whole is phenomenal stuff. The detail in the buildings and how they are solid yet falling apart and seeing all the intact bricks and the weathering cracks I mean damn son this freaking mesmerising as you search the entire page with your eyes because there is so much to take in. the colouring here as well is divine and how it compliments the linework and highlights things in what we see or the weathering itself in colours it all leads to this bloody breathtaking work.
Every week it seems that we are seeing a new release that sets the tone for the rest of the year and it’s going to be hard for everyone else to keep up with. Yet every week a new one fitting that bill seems to come out and if this is what the future holds I’m buckling up for this ride. The writing here is exceptional as is the interior artwork this is the kind of work that readers want and need to get lost in.