The children are the future, or so they say. In this case, the “they” is Curt Pines and Rockwell White, who have whipped up an exciting, resoundingly fresh take on the “mutant children with superpowers” trope in their new story “Indigo Children” #1. We checked in with Curt Pines last week to get the downlow on the new series, and the whole interview is enlightening and worth checking out. He dives into the premise of “Indigo Children” #1, which is as based on a real life phenomenon — well, at least on beliefs held by real life people. As New Age movements blossomed across the country during the psychadelic, cultural upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, certain trends emerged, one of which was a belief in “Indigo Children.” Basically, adherents to the worldview believed that certain children were born with certain genius and reality bending qualities that would usher humanity into a utopian future. These “Indigo Children” were harbingers of a new world order, could tell the future, read the runes, zap your mind, travel galaxies, yadda yadda yadda. People wrote books about this stuff. It’s wild, it’s whacky, it’s a fun wormhole to dive into when procrastinating. But people’s belief in supernatural children was (and is) clearly a powerful phenomenon. For what it’s worth, we’d be remiss not to mention the story that seems to have been the genesis for “Indigo Children” #1, which is the case of Boriska Kipriyanovich. But anyways, what hopes do we project onto youth? What do we make of the juxtaposition between the innocence of childhood and the alleged omnipotence of the indigo children? What sins of our own do we seek to expunge by resting all hope on the next generation? “Indigo Children” #1 takes these ponderings and runs with them. The result is something resoundingly creepy, mystical, and enticing. Let’s dive into it. Of course, in the world of “Indigo Children” #1, it’s all real and then some.
Cover by Geraldo BorgesIndigo Children #1
Written by Curt Pires, Rockwell White
Art by Alex Diotto
Colored by Dee Cunniffe
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Reviewed by Kobi BordoleySERIES PREMIERE: Acclaimed creator CURT PIRES returns to Image for a brand-new ongoing series with the creative team behind the smash-hit series Youth, soon to be a show on Amazon Prime! RADIANT BLACK meets THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH in this action-packed sci-fi/mystery epic as journalist Donovan Price hunts down the extraordinarily gifted INDIGO CHILDREN after their mysterious disappearance fifteen years prior.
We’ve already touched on the broad stroke narrative ideas of “Indigo Children” #1, so before jumping back to that let’s talk about the art. Alex Diotto does something wonderful in “Indigo Children” #1. The style here strikes a perfect balance between realism and impressionism. Characters are rendered clearly, and there’s enough detail on the figures to make them distinct, breathing entities, but there’s more of an emphasis on the wholeness, or gestalt vibe of the panel than on making sure every line is straight and every shadow even. This makes “Indigo Children” #1 easy on the eyes, and simple enough to follow. The impressionism also mirrors the vibe of the story, so much of which takes place in the past, or is otherwise shrouded in mystery and shadow. There’s something haunting in the art direction that helps create the subtle, creepy atmosphere in “Indigo Children” #1. Other stories on this subject matter could have gone over the more superhero-y, bombastic route, but in “Indigo Children” #1 everything is a little more veiled, and a little more esoteric. The colors do well to match this energy, and we’re shown a whole lot of blue (which is maybe to expected in a story of this title) which clouds the story with a hazy aura. However, nothing in “Indigo Children” #1 puts us to sleep. On the contrary, the action scenes are tense, well choreographed, and very coherent. Nice! Lettering, the unsung hero of many a story, also pulls it’s weight in “Indigo Children” #1. When Alexei, our lead Indigo Child, speaks with his woo-woo brain telepathy, it’s rendered in this viscous yet airy bubble with its own unique indigo lettering that helps make us believe in what we’re reading and seeing on the page.
So what exactly is going on in “Indigo Children” #1? The story starts (well, excluding the mystical prologue which includes some lovely magical child x Sphinx communing) with journalist Donovan Price receiving a videotape of an interview with the precocious and eerie Alexei, a young Russian boy who’s really good at math and sincerely believes he’s the reincarnated soul of a Martian sent to the human race to prevent them from making the same mistakes the Martians did. Of course, the tape, the people in it, and Alexei himself have been scrubbed from the cosmos. Donovan has no idea who sent him the tape, and can’t find any more information on the kid after a certain date. Things move forward as he survives an assassination attempt, goes to Russia to figure things out, and gets in over his head. This all gets paired with some exciting prologue/flashback/epilogue moments. If there’s one knock against “Indigo Children” #1 it’s that some of the plot feels a little rushed, and obstacles put in the way of our characters gets waved away a little too quickly. If you’re willing to let that go, then “Indigo Children” is incredibly easy to enjoy. “Indigo Children” #1 will be a must-add to the pull list for people with a penchant for the weird, and for lowkey stories that still pack a huge punch.
Final Verdict: 8.7. Eerie and enchanting, “Indigo Children” will pull you in with its magnetism.
