Berger Books/Dark Horse Comics 2018
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Illustrated by Martin Morazzo
Coloured by Miroslav Mrva
Lettered by Clem Robins
In Chicago, an unknown woman appears flying at speeds of 120 miles per hour and at heights reaching 2,000 feet. Then she suddenly dies in a fiery explosion mid-air. No one knows who she was, how she flew, or why. Luna, a disturbed 15-year-old girl becomes obsessed with learning everything about her while rumours and conspiracy theories roil. Will cracking the secrets of the Flying Woman's inner life lead to the liberation from her own troubled mind?
I found this incredibly interesting and I am not sure if it’s for the reasons that were intended at this point. Possibly however considering what our girl Luna is going through it might that connection is spot on. I love the fact that our lead character is borderline certifiable, see ready to be institutionalised, and we have a front row seat to see that in action. This really is about the writing, the story and Luna and how her world causes her to react. It has an impact to be left upon the reader and I don’t think any two people will have the same experience with it and that’s something truly unique and impactful.
I really like how this book is structured and that the opening page is dramatic while kind of being oblique at the same time. That Luna gets to see the flying girl, granted she was so far away but witnessing that has a changing effect on her and that leads directly into a part of the story that I wasn’t prepared for. She is only fifteen years old and in therapy which in itself isn’t unusual in our current society but it leaves you wondering just what the hell is wrong with her? It is a huge statement moment and it really is essential to how we see her as the story moves forward.
Her home life seems as average as it gets there’s no real trauma or abuse or anything really questionable about it. It is just your average middle-class family so that makes the things we see that much more disturbing to me. I know more about anger management issues than I would like to and what Luna has is not that it’s something totally different. I almost feel as if she would be the foil to the flying girl as if we’re seeing a damaged girl who would end up having the flying girl as her arch-nemesis. But that isn’t quite right either and it’s frustrating and fascinating to keep reading this and trying to find out where Luna fits into the world.
Huge fan of Martin’s and of Miroslav’s and together they bring this tenacity to the book that is undeniable. From unexpected moments and being able to leave us stunned and shocked and then relieved as we run the gamut of emotions thanks to what we see is utterly amazing. I love the linework here and how it comes across as either bold or soft depending on where we see it. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off that wonderful eye for storytelling. The way backgrounds are strategically utilised allows for impact when and how it’s needed.
This is a great first issue as it not only introduces us to this world of an unexpected flying girl her death and this middle-aged man and his crush on a teenage hooker, where he fits in is anyone’s guess really but he’s important enough that we met him already. Then of course there’s Luna will she find something in all this that gives her a kind of purpose to rise above the thoughts in her mind or will it send her over the edge?
With some cutting edge writing and some darn fine interior artwork this is as cerebral as it comes and I’ll be damned if it isn’t the most interesting thing to read right now.