An irradiated Earth. High-flying action. A tragic whiskey shortage. Goggles. If you didn’t catch the first chapter of “Wild Blue Yonder”, that’s the sort of dystopian steampunk-influenced goodness you missed. And if that is the sort of thing you like, you will like this sort of thing.
Written by Mike Raicht, Austin Harrison, Zach Howard
Illustrated by Zach HowardThe critically acclaimed creator-owned book from IDW continues! As the newest recruit aboard an elusive solar-powered airship, Tug begins his training as a “Gun.” On the run from The Judge, Tug has just joined the sky’s Most Wanted, but with the beautiful Cola as his pilot, and the ferocious Scram as his coach, what could go wrong?
Tug is new to the crew of the Dawn, and he’s just been signed up for its most dangerous job. Just how dangerous – and how important – this post can be is something that gradually comes clear over the course of the issue, as Tug encounters the eccentric inhabitants of the ship and gets to know Cola’s family.
Unlike the first issue, which was exposition-heavy, we get a little bit of character development going here as Tug gets used to the family dynamics on board. The most interesting part of it all is the way everybody’s treating him like glass, trying not to get too buddy-buddy with him; his job is deadly enough that it wouldn’t make sense to get attached. All the same, a vestige of human warmth comes through despite all the adverse circumstances, and there’s a winner of a scene involving a screening of Bambi that really sells the pathos and understated desperation of the whole enterprise.
There’s a tangible sense of danger throughout, and not only because Tug’s jetpack training involves getting thrown off the ship. The sky pirates that have set their sights on the Dawn are serious business, and while the reasons behind their rivalry aren’t the most compelling as of yet, the story is advancing steadily, drawing the two parties ever closer to what is sure to be a beautifully laid-out confrontation. That’s actually another strong point in this series: considering that a team of three writers is behind it, the vision feels solid and unified, and the pace never flags. This team definitely has a handle on just what kind of story they want to tell, and how.
Zach Howard’s art is solid and not too showy, establishing a gritty apocalyptic feel that colorist Nelson Daniel mostly fleshes out in khaki tones. The pages can be a little murky at times – a combination of tight compositions and darker palette choices, it looks like – but the action sequences are strong and engaging, delivering a potent sense of disorientation and scale when the situation calls for it. The characterizations are a little weaker, with Cola’s poses and expressions in particular verging on the 80s-hair-salon-y, but then, this is the kind of story that relies on broader character portrayals, and generally speaking the haggard sky cowboy types look great.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a wee bit of a twist in the end of this issue? There’s a wee bit of a twist going on here. I did not expect it all, and it certainly raises the stakes, which is, after all, what a final-page reveal is all about.
Overall, this is a well-executed second chapter to an engaging, if not terribly unconventional, sci-fi series. Next issue promises to be a whopper – it’s 27 pages long – so if you like a little more bang for your $3.99, you may well get it! Meantime, fans of the steampunk aesthetic – even if there is very little steam involved – should definitely give this series a try.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Browse
