“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” creators Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes and Clayton Cowles have reteamed for a miniseries of their own at Dark Horse, “Helen of Wyndhorn.” Presumably seeking to recapture the magic that made their previous project such a priority for DC Studios, the series similarly follows an unlikely pair of women in the aftermath of the death of the younger protagonist’s father, albeit amidst the context of early 20th century pulp literature.
Cover by Bilquis EvelyWritten by Tom King
Art by Bilquis Evely
Colored by Matheus Lopes
Lettered by Clayton CowlesFollowing the tragic death of her late father C.K. Cole, the esteemed pulp writer and creator of the popular warrior character Othan, Helen Cole is called back to her grandfather’s enormous and elustrious estate: Wyndhorn House. Scarred by Cole’s untimely passing and lost in a new, strange world, Helen wreaks drunken havoc upon her arrival; however, her chaotic ways begin to soften as she discovers a lifetime of secrets hiding within the myriad rooms and hallways of the expansive manor. For outside its walls, within the woods, dwell the legendary adventures that once were locked away within her father’s stories.
Let’s begin by acknowledging there is no one quite like Bilquis Evely in the comics industry: her instantly recognizable linework is simply extraordinary, fluid to the point it resembles dreams emanating from the windmills of your mind, yet detailed and technically precise enough that you continue to be left in sheer awe at her craft, page after page, panel after panel. One beautiful and distinctive element of her style is how she seems to render young women’s faces with a sense of vintage glamor, the sort you only see in pre-television, black-and-white cinema and photographs, which makes the pre-war setting of this book absolutely perfect for her.
Tom King seems to have had the Golden Age of popular culture on the brain too, with the surprising framing device of a journalist interviewing Helen’s elderly former governess, Lilith Appleton, ala Citizen Kane. (And now that I mention it, there is more than a whiff of Xanadu, which was itself inspired by Hearst Castle, with Wyndhorn Manor.) Like Ruthye Marye Knoll, the narrator of “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” Ms. Appleton feels like the book’s true protagonist, our window into the tale of the title character, and a conscious decision on King’s part to tell said heroine’s story without having to alter his wordy writing style too much.
Make no mistake, this is still very much a King comic, and his novelistic, slowburn approach to storytelling remains an acquired taste. It can be tempting to think of “Helen of Wyndhorn” as a full two-hander, where one protagonist’s characterization is conveyed via narration, while the other is only portrayed through action and movement (including dialogue.) That’s very much the case with Helen Cole, a fun-loving, hellraising alcoholic, who’d much rather be out dancing the Charleston (or the subsequent equivalent) than stuck waiting around for her grandfather at his estate, whom we only see from Appleton’s stuffy and aloof perspective.
However, while Ruthye Marye Knoll really was the protagonist of “Woman of Tomorrow,” the one undergoing a change in attitude and perspective, Appleton is the Supergirl figure, the woman protecting the younger one, whose character arc won’t be as drastic. Helen’s story feels like a more cerebral exercise than an emotional one so far, with us left to ponder how she really feels about her father’s death, and her future, rather than actually experiencing it. Should King have got a co-writer to tell the story from Helen’s point-of-view? I can’t help but wonder if that might’ve been more impactful.
There is one more issue with King’s writing: Appleton’s narration feels like a diary, even though it’s supposed to be an elderly woman recounting this to the journalist. Cowles’s (admittedly wonderful) lettering, which deploys pink caption boxes resembling weathered parchment, does imply this, but her language is still too formal, even for an erudite, former governess like her. The absolute worst example came when she stated, “This pattern [of Helen getting blackout drunk], I am loath but obligated to report, continued unabated over the next few weeks.” This absolutely feels like something she is writing in correspondence, not saying!
But despite the problems with King’s dialogue and characterization, “Helen of Wyndhorn” is worth starting for Evely’s art, Lopes’s gorgeous colors, Cowles’s lettering (which must be commended for cleanly laying out King’s excessive words), and an arresting theme regarding pulp literature being considered trash, that’ll be interesting to revisit in hindsight (especially given King’s complicated relationship with the medium.) The synopsis promises the spectacular and the fantastic, and rest assured you will see it by the end of the issue. Above all, it is simply intriguing: we might know Appleton’s fate, even without the specifics, but Helen’s destiny is still a mystery, and by the end of the series, King’s flawed work might feel like a quibble (especially as you can skim it on reread.)
Final Verdict: 7.0 – an intriguing start.
