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 look at the crazy, colorful dystopia of the “The New World.”
“The New World” is written by Ales Kot, who brings the same thought-provoking questions and unabashed politics to this series that he brought to other books like “Secret Avengers,” and “Zero.” The series is illustrated by Tradd Moore with the same intensity he brought to series like “Luthor Strode” and “All-New Ghost Rider.” Rounding out the team are the explosive colors from Heather Moore, and letters from Clayton Cowles, who has worked on so many books it’s almost impossible to choose just a few.
What’s It All About
“The New World” takes place in a dystopian future, after a second Civil War. The first issue opens with nukes dropping across the country, and from there settles into the state of New California and introduces us to the two main characters. The first is Stella Maris, a super cop, that operates as part of the fascist government’s futuristic version of COPS, with viewer participation deciding whether she should bring in the criminals she catches or murder them on the spot. When she isn’t on duty, Stella is a bit of a hedonist, with all the money and resources she needs to party as hard as she wants to.
Kirby Shakaku Miyazaki is almost the exact opposite. A hacker, and anarchist, that spends most of the first issue hacking into the organization that Stella works for. He lives in the slums of New California, and is straight edge, a fact that he is very proud of, and happy to tell almost everyone he meets. Of course, with characters this completely opposite, there was only one thing that could happen. “The New World” is equal parts Romeo and Juliet, dystopian future, political commentary, and a complete and absolute blast to read.
The first thing you notice when opening up “The New World” is Tradd Moore’s artwork. He brings the same style and eye for action that he has brought to all the other projects he has been involved in. But in this series, he turns all of that up to the next level. Every page in this series is filled with lush details, bringing to life the world of New California.
The level of detail that Moore brings to each page would, for a lot of artists, make everything feel a bit busy. Moore avoids that by keeping all of his lines clean, creating a book that is completely jampacked with details, color and craziness, while staying easily legible. Similarly, the character designs that Moore has done for the series are all bursting at the seems with over the top details, but still never feel over designed. It’s one of the series greatest strengths, the ability to take things that might seem over the top, or too in your face, and make them work and feel natural.
The writing, like Moore’s design, is extremely in your face as well. I said earlier that “The New World” is a very political series, and Kot never tries to pretend it’s anything different. The series wears its politics on its sleeve. Its characters declare who they are, never leaving character traits to subtext when they could be made text. If this sounds like a criticism, it’s not. Part of what makes this series work is that the characters are so brash and in your face. Both Kirby and Stella are a bit too smart for their own good, and as the series has progressed, the loud declarations of their own identities have given way to understanding between these two characters.
“The New World” is a story about two characters, from different places coming together. But it’s not a series that is going to create a false equivalency between a fascist government that murders its own citizens on TV for sport, and someone that is working against that government. The people and systems in this series that are clearly evil in this series are never portrayed by Kot as anything but. And when it is a commentary on our current world, that all holds true as well.
Continued belowWith the writing from Kot and the art from Tradd Moore, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the colors by Heather Moore as well. While Tradd Moore’s pencils have an energy and vitality to them on their own, the colors by Heather Moore are a huge part of why this book feels so explosive. This is never a book that feels drab or dreary. Even when the plot is on a down beat, Heather Moore is able to portray the mood of the moment without losing the bright, flashing colors that make this book what it is.
Which is what is probably the best part of the book. If you’re looking for a book that is political, Kot has many of other options that a person could choose from. But none of those other books contain the bombast, and the sheer energy that “The New World” has in every single panel. This is a joyful dystopia, a book that has a lot on its mind, while never feeling like anything other than a complete thrill ride. And it’s one that you should make sure to hop on before the series ends.
How Can I Read It?
“The New World” #4 is out this Wednesday, and all the previous issues should be available in either comic shops, or on comixology. The fifth issue will be the final one of the series, so now is the perfect time to get caught up before the series comes to its conclusion. However, if you’d rather read the entire series in one go, the trade paperback collecting the series will be out mid-January of next year.
