A Comic A Day in May – Day 4: Queen #1

Creator/writer Jamie Me has already impressed with the first issue of Start Again and with UK  happening elections this month and next month it seemed like an ideal time to delve into his political thriller Queen.

It follows disheartened politician Emily Green who seems caught in the midst of chaos as feuding MP’s vie for the last word in the latest mindless debate that’s descended into mud slinging.  Emily has the weight of the world on her shoulders as she drifts off to her normal life outside of the parliament walls and a glance through her latest mail sees a package turn her world upside down.

Emily’s struggle now takes an unexpected turn and revelations about the majority of MP’s could see a much-needed shake-up.  A mysterious voice at the other end of a phone is now in control of the whole scenario and this opening issue has a slick edge of tension running through that’s edgy & fully charged.  She tries to make the most of her time with her son but a late night call back to a parliament meeting brings this issue to a close with an uneasy sense of our central character losing control of any aspect of her life.

While politics may not be the the obvious choice for comics, the potential Jamie has built is tangible from that first page and while the stark similarites with the world we find ourselves in today are scarily accurate this feels like the beginning of something intricate and complex.  The art from Bernard Gita & colours from Sean Callahan are a key element to building the momentum & tension too with it all having a real world feel to it from the beginning and the facial expressions in particular, manage to capture & emphasise the growing turmoil. Jamie gets an extra nod for his lettering work too which remains on point & keeps the dialogue & narrative of the political plot away from being crammed onto the pages…….I liked the placement of Emily’s thought processes on the pages too. It’s a smart opener from Jamie and I’m sure much more relevant than could be conveyed in one issue……can’t wait to get hold of the second issue now 😀

Jamie has a campaign running just now to get the second book into print and you can check that out at the link below:

Queen Kickstarter

You can also catch-up with all of Jamie’s latest news over on his website or on Facebook & Twitter.

9/10

G-Man