Vault Comics 2018
Written by Vita Ayala
Illustrated by Lisa Sterle
Coloured by Stelladia
Lettered by Rachel Deering
On the night of the biggest storm in New York City history, Elysia Puente gets a call from her estranged little brother Angel, terrified, begging for help. When the call cuts out suddenly, despite the bad feelings between them, Ellie rushes into the night. Finding his broken phone in front of a barricaded subway station, Ellie follows echoes of her brother into the sinister darkness of the underground, desperate to find him before it’s too late.
Well I was more than pleasantly surprised by this! The opening is extremely well done and as we see Elysia walking home and passing the subway entrance and we’re seeing how the rain has closed it down we are already getting a picture of what it’s like there. I have to say I was surprised to see her light up, well I guess those are the new cigarette’s right I mean it’s becoming legal for various purposes more and more.
Right off the bat Vita gives us this amazing characterisation and lets the reader get a glimpse into Elysia’s life. I am beginning to see more and more why she’s smoking up but that’s a coping mechanism and not a cure for what ails her. Though I won’t poo poo her decisions I know plenty of folks who think 4:20 is the best time of day. Still yeah that short but strong bit of characterisation it makes us understand her feelings more than I was expecting to so early on. If this is what Vita has planned for the entire thing then let me get a seatbelt, oh I expect it at this point because she should change and grow according to her experiences.
Guilt is a very powerful thing, which is why mums and especially Jewish mums use it so gosh darn well. So that Elysia runs off after feeling she abandoned her brother when he needs her well it just makes sense. I am not at all close to my sister and yet if she called and sounded like she was in trouble I’d be there in a heartbeat it’s that familial bond. So when she follows the clues to find him the adventure begins. Also I have to commend Vita for not only choosing the metaphor’s that she did but for executing them so flawlessly. There isn’t one moment when reading this that I wasn’t acutely aware of what was going on, in MY perception, which just enhanced how I felt at those moments.
Lisa’s interiors here are lovely. She too is a very talented young woman with a bright future ahead of her and if you aren’t sure about that then read this book. Her attention to detail in the characters is just enough and the faces and facial expressions are extremely nice to see. Stelladia does some nice colour work too and the differential in the past and present is a joy to see. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a strong eye for storytelling. I wish some backgrounds were bolder, it’s the subway and it’s creepy and intimidating I say use that to it’s fullest! Though which ever one of you is responsible for the creepy crawlies thank you.
As Elysia descends further into the madness of this trip with Cerberus at her side a few things struck me. Elysia is like the Elysium fields that represent death and the afterlife while her brother Angel represents lightness and positivity almost like the two are literally opposite sides of the same coin. I could be reading too much into their names but then again that is a sign that the story is that good. Why else would you take the subject matter and try to expand the story in your own mind?
Vault continues to impress me with what they are putting on stands. I have news for you all, small company start-up woes aside I will wait between issues if I have to because these are worth it.