This fantastical miniseries from Archaia started off solid, ushering us into the cluttered world of the Maze. It’s in this dangerous district that a feathered boy named Poe does his best to survive. Now he’s teamed up with rich-girl Bianca from the white-walled City; and she’s got some plans of her own.
Written and illustrated by Jorge Corona
Fresh from their near-miss escape from the Guards, Bianca and Poe strike a deal: If he guides her through the treacherous Maze, she will take him to see the White Guide, a feathered statue in the City that may hold the key to Poe’s origins. It’s an adventure that will take them from the lowest shadows to the highest rooftops, with untold dangers along the way… and not everyone in the Maze is happy about their new alliance.
“Feathers” is a great-looking series so far; and so far, the art is the best thing about it. This issue, the most interesting visual element is actually one of the layouts. As Bianca delves into the mythical origins of the City, a waterfall of sand spills from one panel into the next, and Bianca reaches straight out of one panel to point at another. In addition to these eye-catching touches, the spread features angled panels reminiscent of the shattered windows of the Maze – an awfully neat trick. Later layouts are staid by contrast, but they always flow well, engaging on a micro and macro scale.
The world of the Maze comes across as claustrophobic and cramped not through shading or an over-abundance of detail, but through the compositions, which constantly juxtapose the empty, clear sky with the mess below. Corona makes the sparse details go a long way, letting some tangled ropes and a little crumbling masonry hint at the overall state of ruin.
Poe himself is an iconic figure; basically a pair of goggles strapped to a bundle of feathers, he still gets across a lot of pep – and is made all the more interesting by the touch of shyness that comes across in his posing. Bianca is (unsurprisingly) large-mouthed and prone to mugging – she’s either pouting or enthusing whenever you see her.
All the while, Jen Hickman’s colours quietly go about their business, keeping to a muted, downtrodden spectrum. Since most of the issue takes place in the Maze, this is just as well. But the white feathers of the mythical Guide offer temporary relief, shining out and acting as contrast to it all.
All of this beauty, unfortunately, gets derailed by a tendency in the writing that didn’t make itself felt in the first issue. The trouble is this: “Feathers” #2 is as packed with chatter as an episode of Gilmore Girls. All of this talking – without much room to breathe – slows the pace of the comic down to a crawl, making the 22 pages of story feel like many, many more.
It’s partly a problem of exposition; Bianca has a lot to tell us, and she’s not very economical about it, taking lots of conversational detours and skipping critical details. All of this is very much in line with her character as we’re coming to know it; but this behavior, consistent as it is, is getting annoying in itself. We know by now that she’s determined on adventure at all costs, but her motivation doesn’t seem to extend beyond a desire to alleviate boredom. That’s not quite enough to get us sympathizing with Bianca, and it’s certainly not enough to make her train of thought comprehensible.
Deron Bennett’s letters are solid, but occasionally add to the conversational clutter by leaning too far into bolding. The emphasized words introduce odd rhythms to the dialogue, making some of Bianca’s longer spiels that much harder to grasp.
Poe, meanwhile, is along for the ride; he’s somewhat daunted by Bianca, but not really in a hurry to express himself or mitigate the situation. Again, it’s not that his behavior is inconsistent; we know him as a shy guy. But he’s not reacting to Bianca’s antics in any meaningful way, and that leaves their partnership feeling sort of stale.
Continued belowI know it’s a creative writing cliche, but good stories need conflict, and at the heart of this one things seem almost placid. Of course Bianca’s father is after them, but that’s pretty much the only thing keeping the story moving. There are no big cogs turning, no sparks flying. And while it’s only the second issue, and there’s still some time for the pace to pick up, the present lack of momentum doesn’t inspire excitement for future issues
There’s nothing seriously wrong with “Feathers”; it’s a cute story with an appeal of its own. But the hiccups – the trouble with pacing, the lack of development in the characters – make it difficult to single out in a market full of wonderful fantasy titles.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Lovely to look at, but getting bogged down.
