Review: Skyward #1
Too often we make mountains out of molehills, where things that seem catastrophic end up being just run of the mill. In between those two point we feel that the world has turn upside down! In this new series Skyward, published by Image, the world is practically all turned upside down as the strength of gravity slips away, leaving a populace to grow accustomed to their new way off living.
The book features an origin of sorts as you are introduced to WIlla, who twenty years before had been a baby as the world went through “G-Day”. This means that the new way of the wold, jump too high and you are in sky full of trouble, is all she has known. Her father, however is a different matter as on G-Day he lost more than his hold of the Earth, he lost his wife and is determined to get the world back on sure footing.
Writer Joe Henderson, showrunner of Lucifer, has crafted a world that seems obvious when you think about the physics of the situation. Remember, an object stays in motion until an equal and opposite force is applied to it! With that in mind there are any number of forces being applied throughout this book, be it fire extinguishers, guns or the weight of responsibility, the latter seemingly weighing Willa’s father down. With any new world, even one that has resonance in our own, there are different facets to explain and cater for. Henderson does this well, giving just enough information for the reader to understand what is going on whilst still leaving plenty of questions in the tank. The dialogue is a tad light-hearted for my personal tastes, but I think it does fit the tone even when on occasion it can seem too over explanatory.
The art is by Lee Garbett, a British artist whose last work I saw on the Steph Brown Batgirl book, so it has been a while. Garnett’s work seems to have developed in the mean time; the cover oddly reminiscent of John Romita JR, with the interior art showing heavier inks than I would have normally associated with Garbett. With the situation of the world in the book, Garbett doesn’t have to rely on the “normal” environs of comic books. As such, panel perspective, physical frameworks go out the window allowing the pace of the art to really let loose. Still, there are rules to this world and the threats to Willa’s travels are well shown. Antonio Fabela displays maturity in the color scheme and Simon Bowland’s fonts add to the ease of reading.
The not so quite far-flung future has an interesting vibe in play to compliment the father daughter relationship. Both Willa and her father want her to be able to travel, but with his heart stuck in the past and her head firmly in the present, with low gravity to deal with, what will keep theses two from drifting apart?
Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
Colors – 4.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Joe Henderson
Art by; Lee Garbett
Colors by; Antonio Fabela
Letters by; Simon Bowland
Published by; Image Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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