There are a lot of comics out there but some 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 look at the emotionally gripping, coming of age, sci-fi tale: Titan Comics’s “Life is Strange.”
Who’s This By?
Emma Vieceli is a comic book writer and artist hailing from England. She has made a name for herself by writing comics with various publishers (Dark Horse, Titan, IDW, etc.) based on source material with long-standing and fierce fan bases such as: “Doctor Who,” “My Little Pony, and “Back to the Future.” Her talent speaks for itself as her work on these properties, along with smaller projects like her creator-owned series “BREAKS” have been highly praised both by critics as well as the rabid fans. While she does not supply the art for “Life is Strange” she is also an accomplished illustrator having done some incredible work on Image Comics’s “The Wicked + The Divine,” DC’s “Wonder Woman,” Marvel’s “Young Avengers,” and much more. While not a household name, she has done some truly outstanding work on titles big and small she is most definitely a creator to behold. “Life is Strange” is just the latest work to be worthy of your attention.
Illustrator Claudia Leonardi is a newcomer to comics and she is doing an excellent job making herself noticed. Just her work on this series is simply wonderful. She not only brings her own style to the book, she thoroughly captures the look of the game. While a more niche project, this is a book that is showing off her talents in a big way.
Andrea Izzo is also new to the comics scene. She is perfectly suited to be paired with Leonardi on this book. As her only foray into the world of comics thus far is on this series it almost seems as if Max Caulfield had a hand in molding the timeline to bring these two artists together.
“Life is Strange” is lettered by Richard Starkings (“Elephantmen”) and industry legend, COMICRAFT’S Jimmy Betancourt (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Batman,” “Conan,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).
What’s This All About?
This comic is based on the video game series Life is Strange with the original characters and story by Raoul Barbet, Jean-Luc Cano, and Michel Koch. Serving as an extended story line branching off from the various possible endings of the first video game. The story follows Max and Chloe in a few alternate timelines after the storm that destroyed Arcadia Bay and cost the lives of many of its residents. Timelines and realities collapse, change, and fly off in all directions as Max tries to keep the world in its best possible state without destroying her life or the lives of those closest to her. Things never get any easier for Max as both her every day problems begin to grow with her supernatural ones. The series is filled with fan favorite characters as well as new people that will come into contact with our heroes in one life or another.
So, Why Should I Read This?
“Life is Strange” is a rare and wonderful oddity. It is one of the best comic books to be based on a video game, if not the best of this particular sub-genre. Emma Vieceli writes multi-layered and intelligent scripts that touch on the deep intricacies of relationships, both of the romantic and platonic sort, as well as mixing the two. Each issue carries the emotional weight that fans have come to expect from this property. Her writing will get you to smile, choke up, and contemplate every life choice you have ever made. You will be on this journey with Max and feel every emotional stomach pang, whether from laughing or heartbreaking gut punches. She understands these characters and their stories as well as the original creators, I would be shocked if you aren’t deeply invested in it by the end of issue one.
Continued belowIf you have played the game(s) and have been holding off on picking up this series, or if this is your first time hearing about it, you will not be disappointed. I’ll admit that at first I picked up the series just as a novelty item, thinking it was going to be a quick miniseries to bridge the two games, but I was wrong. It has become so much more than that. Because Vieceli captures the personalities and traits of these beloved characters and the world they inhabit so well there is no doubt that you will immediately get wrapped up in this plot. As soon as I started issue #1 I could hear the voice actors in my head. While this series won’t mean much to those who aren’t already acquainted with the franchise, there is still something to be said for its ability to draw you in and encompass your emotions.
Claudia Leonardi’s illustrations are as close to getting the game style translated to comics as we could ever get. While there is a clear style of her own coming through, her work looks as though she storyboarded this world from the beginning. Every detail, including panel layouts, scene transitions, characters design (down to micro expressions on their faces), and the full look of Arcadia Bay and its surrounding areas are perfectly represented here. Her work is so perfectly matched for this series that every panel looks to have a life of its own. Every detail moves and breathes life. It is as close to the game animation as we will ever see on the page.
Andrea Izzo’s color work is a huge step in the direction of re-creating this world for comics. Having her teamed up with Leonardi is a stroke of luck as she implements the exact color palettes from the game. They are a dream team for this series and we can all hope they stay on for the duration of the series.
It works as its own plot, and as a bridge between the first and second games. As fans of the games know, there are many changes and paths the story can take while playing, and this comic works for anyone, no matter what paths they took or ultimate ending they achieved. While there is plenty of information given at the beginning of each issue to catch readers up on what’s come before, this is a sequel to the video game and anyone picking this up would be remiss to skip playing it and jumping right into the comics. If there is any roadblock in my ability to recommend this series it’s that, you may not be as drawn in if you use the comics as the jumping on point. And if it does intrigue newcomers, hopefully they will stay on board with it and check out the games that inspired it.
How Can You Read It?
“Life is Strange” premiered in November 2018 and has just released its seventh issue, hitting shelves today. The initial four issues completed the first arc and can be found anywhere comic books are sold. They have also been collected in the series’s first trade paperback “Life is Strange vol. 1: Dust to Dust.” While issue #5 started the second arc, titled ‘Waves,’ with Max creating another slightly different timeline, the plot is not broken up into completely separate chapters. It is all very much one story line. The series is moving along nicely and is keeping in line with the game’s ability of making such a fluid plot remain concise. For now the series will be an on-going project, most likely showing various timelines that are intertwined with and separate from the ultimate fates set in the games.
