There are a lot of comics out there, but some just stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re taking a look at Jonathan Luna and Lauren Keely’s epic new series, “20XX.” If you’ve never taken a trip into the noir, dystopian world of the title we are here to catch you up to speed and discover why you absolutely should not miss “20XX.”
Who Is This By?
“20XX” is a series from Jonathan Luna and Lauren Keely. Luna is a renowned writer and artist who is famous(ish) for the Image comics that he produced working alongside his brother Joshua. The comic book duo worked on titles like “The Sword,” “Ultra” and “Girls.” Jonathan also worked alongside author Sara Vaughn on the recent title “Alex + Ada” before moving over to “20XX” #1.”20XX” also features writing from first-time comic book writer Lauren Keely. Keely’s writing in “20XX” doesn’t feel like a freshman debut. Luna is credited with devising the story for the issue along with Keely. Keely is stated as being responsible for the series scripts.
What’s It All About?
“20XX” is about a woman named Meria who develops powers that make her shunned from society. Meria already has a life established and upon developing her powers she is banished from her comfortable home. Meria is stranded into a world with the other Syms who are dubbed as the outcasts with powers. Meria is kicked out of her comfortable environment and is forced to live among these outcasts. Meria’s world is completely changed and she even develops a set of mysterious supernatural powers to carry alongside her new environment. As the series has started to develop, Luna and Keely have begun to introduce readers to the deadly world of the Syms. Keely and Luna continue to introduce the greater mythology of the overarching series as “20XX” progresses. Meria is forced into a gang by an act of violence and the series continues to escalate from this point.
What Makes It So Great?
Luna and Keely craft a bold entry point for new readers in the first issue. “20XX” is fairly simplistic at first and eases readers into the supernatural aspects of the story. The way the story is paced reminds me of the way “The Sword” introduced the cast and premise. “The Sword” slowly introduced readers to the mystical world of Dara Brighton. In addition to being relatable and paced well, “20XX” #1 also contains slick black-and-white art from Jonathan Luna. At first, Luna’s work can appear to lack detail needed for the story, the minimalistic level of detail allows for readers to get lost on the page. It is easy to see the illusion of motion with artwork that is less detailed in some cases. Luna always strives for characters to be in motion and have detailed facial expressions to ease readers into the story.
Luna and Keely have a lot of plot and dialogue that readers need to experience in the story. Luna’s art guides readers through a lot of text in a smooth and poignant manner. One core flaw of “20XX” is just how much dialogue is on the page. Luna’s art is still able to clearly craft the motion despite a large amount of text on the page. Luna and Keely’s scripts also don’t pack in dialogue just for the sake of having a dialogue. Characters are always showing their personality in what they are saying with each other. While the story has a lot of action and intrigue at the center, issue #2 took a really nice breather to build the relationship with Meria and the mysterious woman she met in issue #1 of the series.
“20XX” is also a great way to bring any new readers into comic books. With the relatively slow but relatable beginning of the series, fans of HBO television series or science fiction stories will likely get something out of “20XX.” The unique and noir vision from the artwork crafts a feeling that can really hook readers early on into the story. The cast of the series can be slightly unconventional and it would be great to show a new reader that comics can go beyond simple superhero stories. I would also recommend reading the title in a binge as opposed to following it monthly. Getting a morsel of “20XX” once a month could potentially leave a new reader anxiously awaiting more content. The most remarkable aspect of “20XX” is still hypothetical for me. I have a feeling that the best for this series is yet to come and readers are still only in the introductory phase of the comic book.
“20XX” clearly has a larger story that Meria is being drawn into and the title hast just begun to establish rival factions of a gang. When you pepper the supernatural powers that get Meria into trouble there’s something here that has yet to be explored. I hope that Keely and Luna will continue to show readers the more supernatural aspects of the book while keeping the character and heart of the series alive. So far “20XX” has been more focused on character than plot and I hope Keely and Luna will continue this balance with a hint of violence added in for good measure in upcoming issues.
How Can You Read It?
“20XX” is published monthly from Image comics. If the “20XX” continues the unprecedented level of quality we’ve thus far, you can expect to read the title’s name on year-end lists and monthly throughout 2020 in a serialized format in a comic book store near you.
