Two things came out of San Diego Comic Con that made the rounds quickly as buzzed about happenings: first off, the announcement of a new Brian K. Vaughan book in Image Comics’ SAGA (say it with me: YES!!!!) and second off, the Batgirl vs. DC panel controversy centered around DC’s perceived under representation of the fairer sex in comics (and the amount of them working on their comics). Both of those stories took off and ran for wildly different reasons, but for those looking at them closely, there is an intersection between them: Fiona Staples.
A few years back, a random mini-series came out from DC imprint Wildstorm called North 40. In that book, a new artist to my world was unveiled with phenomenal (and Eisner nominated) work from Staples. Having been announced as the artist and co-creator on the SAGA as well as a female artist who worked at DC, I think this is the perfect time to highlight North 40 on Off the Cape.
Well, for that reason and the one that this book was WILDLY underrated and amazing all together.
Read more after the jump.
The plot of North 40 is a sprawling one featuring many characters, especially considering the length of the mini (just six issues), but one that works pretty damn well. It’s about a small, hick area called Conover County that has a rather strange happening: something triggers everyone in the area to turn into Lovecraftian monsters or super powered normal folk. Of course, sides quickly form and the good guys have to simultaneously protect the town folk while getting to the root of the problem.
The whole thing is pretty obvious from the get go as far as what is going to happen, but the power in the story stems from the execution (and art, but we’ll get to that). Writer and creator Aaron Williams creates a few leads that really stand out – namely the hero with the bad roots Wyatt, Sheriff Morgan, and the scythe wielding and quite badass Amanda. These characters form into a highly entertaining band of characters, moving in and out of entertaining showdowns ranging from stopping bullies to taking down massive, horrific Chthulu esque monsters. Hell, they have to go and stop a prom that is invaded by zombies – how does this not sound entertaining as all hell?
Williams gives the book a brisk pace, and one that keeps the story progressing and the quips flying (the dialogue is snappy and fun), and he is smart at taking his greatest gift and giving it the opportunity to shine. And by that I mean he gives artist Fiona Staples a lot of opportunities to draw crazy monsters and big moments.
From the first time I flipped through the first issue, I was enamored with Staples’ art. I think one of the things that I found so incredible about it is that it feels completely unlike anyone else in the industry.
These days, most artists wear their influences on their sleeves. A little Quitely here, a little Hitch there, throw in some Romita, and then sprinkle a dash of Anime influences on top. Heat at 350, serve warm. There is nothing wrong with that at all. It leads to some incredible art. But when I saw Staples, I just saw a person who leapt into her first prominent work and owned it from day one. Whether she is illustrating the aforementioned zomprom or two friends playing with a Ouija board at the beginning, her work excels at connecting the reader at a visceral level. You feel like you are there, and I think that is determined heavily by her exquisite storytelling and the camera angles she takes on sequences.
As I said earlier, there are a lot of characters in this book, but Staples manages to give each character their own visual identity – and not just in saying that there are diverse body types and facial structures. Characters like Wyatt or Amanda carry themselves in specific ways that are almost signatures for them – you could absolutely tell who Wyatt is on a page just by the way his movements are delivered. For such a sprawling cast, it’s incredible to think of the level of depth Staples gives each of them visually.
All of that, and she just makes this book soar from an entertainment standpoint with her horrific monsters, campy situations and elaborate rendering of this absurd situation.
While this book is a good, not great story, it becomes great thanks to the tremendous efforts of rising star artist Staples. Not many people checked this book out when it was coming out in issue form, but I definitely recommend it in trade, if only to start building up your indie cred and so you can have the ability to say “oh, I liked Fiona Staples before SAGA became the best comic in the world.”
