New Image series Angelic sees Simon Spurrier (Cry Havoc) & Caspar Wijngaard (Limbo) team-up to bring us an all-ages adventure book with winged-monkey’s and some big story themes to cover.
We’re introduced to a world without humans in the day-to-day life of Qora as she is swept up in the latest confrontation her tribe finds themselves in with the resident cybernetic dolphins. Flying monkeys vs killer dolphins seems like the best kind of adventure to get involved in but gender inequality seems to be something that this world hasn’t been able to shake and Qora finds herself being punished for her pursuit in breaking those shackles. That punishment alone would be bad enough but she finds out that things are worse than she expected as she’s been chosen to be the second wife of tribe leader Alfer but the loss of her wings and settling for a life of child-bearing is not something she’s keen to accept.
Simon’s creativity is in over-drive with Angelic and as his energetic world of monkey’s & an innocent thirst for adventure is contrasted with the questioning of authority & religion in the form of a teenage rebellion, there’s much to be applauded in what’s being put together here. The hint of nostalgia for all the best movies, cartoons & video games I grew up with are there as well and all while the subtle adult plot-line plays out in the background as Simon does an amazing job at juggling them all.
Caspar’s art work is just as bold & colourful as you’d expect for the themes being tackled and with just the right amount of emotional detail needed in the facial expressions to capture the bittersweet element of teen angst acting out against a system that seems rigged. As more & more species are introduced the creative team become more dependent on each other to keep those ideas flowing and as they build-up to a big reveal in this opener the momentum is definitely with them. Take The Wonder Years and add in some Wizard of Oz & Ecco the Dolphin and you’ve got the start of what Angelic is trying to be but with the deeper meaning bubbling away in background it ends up being an all-ages title in the truest sense of the words – great story from Simon, great art from Caspar & a great title from Image…..simple as that.
Angelic #1 will hit comic shops on the 20th September with final orders due on 28th August (Diamond Order code – JUL170699)
9/10
G-Man
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