REVIEW: Feathers #1

Written by Jorge Corona
Art by Jorge Corona
Published by BOOM! Studios
Release date: January 7, 2015

One of my greatest joys recently has been discovering books I can read with my two young daughters to introduce them to the world of comics (and quite honestly, get them away from My Little Pony. No offense to the bronies out there). After reading the first issue of Jorge Corona“s Feathers, I can say that I can add one more book to that list.

If the name sounds familiar, you may have seen his work in Image“s terrific Goners book, but this is his first time taking up the reins as writer as well with an issue that serves as a great introduction to what“s sure to become a fascinating world.

Feathers follows Poe, a young boy whose body is covered in feathers, and who sneaks out during the day and wanders the rooftops of the Maze, a large sprawling complex of slums, helping people in trouble. Much of his heroics involves saving mischievous children escape from the law, while hiding in plain in plain sight, but there are times where he truly wants to do more to help those in need, only to be stopped by his adoptive father. One day, he tries to help Biance, Lord Chapelle“s daughter, escape from guards trying to return her to her father“s convoy, only to be found out by her. As they attempt to escape the guards together, he is forced to hide in a crawlspace with her, no longer a secret to the world.

For a writing debut, Corona does a wonderful job at introducing us to the world of the Maze while leaving a great deal to the imagination. Much of the story is narrated by two as-yet-unseen and apparently omniscient characters who have a keen interesting on Poe and his future. Whether these characters will be revealed in the future remains to be seen, but it is definitely an interesting angle of exposition. Poe himself is an interesting character. Having lived a very sheltered and secluded life, he knows little of the world around him, but his eagerness to help those in need definitely sets him up as a true hero in this book, and someone who is easily relatable by people of all ages.

While there are some darker elements to the story – the mysterious man on the carriage who kidnaps children, for example – this is a very fun story that anyone can get into. In many respects, Feathers offers us a new perspective on the typical superhero story by throwing in elements of ancient fairy tales which I found refreshing. I eagerly await the release of the next issue in this series.

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Martin Ferretti

Martin Ferretti is an avid comic book reader, Hearthstone player, IT professional, father, and all around geek. His fascination with Valiant Comics may be bordering on the insane, but hey, it keeps him happy. Follow him @Valiant_Central on Twitter or his Valiant news and reviews site ValiantCentral.com