Comics fans know that there is nothing more exciting right now than Berger Books. Karen Berger is arguably the all-time greatest editor in the history of the medium and Dark Horse needed a shot in the arm after losing the Star Wars license. Of the starting lineup of books, “She Could Fly” comes right out the gate with a brilliantly assembled creative team, and a unique take on comics.
Cover by Martín MorazzoWritten by Christopher Cantwell
Illustrated by Martín Morazzo
Colored by Miroslav Mrva
Lettered by Clem RobinsShe could fly, but then she blew up. Luna mourns the loss, unable to let go, while Bill Meigs returns to Chicago to secretly investigate the Flying Woman’s identity. Meanwhile, Eon-Def Industrial moves to put a cap on dangerous technology in hopes of avoiding federal prying eyes. And the Brewsters discover that Kido may not be as at peace as she claims.
Christopher Cantwell, the writer of “She Could Fly” is a comics newcomer. This is not surprising. Karen Berger’s claim to fame is in discovering new talent and bringing them into comics. Though this is his first credit as a comics writer, Cantwell is famous for creating the amazing and totally underrated AMC series Halt and Catch Fire.
Typically, I’m a skeptic of writers making the transition from other media. Comics writing is unique; they can’t just be written like a book or a TV show. Cantwell’s particular inexperience isn’t obvious, but its there if you look for it. Fortunately, it ends up a blessing as much as a curse. Perhaps because of that lack of experience, he’s willing to try things that no other comics writers would, and “She Could Fly” practically vibrates with energy.
The story of “She Could Fly” follows a number of different people, most of whom are totally unrelated. Their only connection is witnessing a woman flying across the sky. They don’t know her. They don’t meet her. But her existence inextricably change their lives. That modular sort of storytelling isn’t new to comics, but I’ve never seen a book paced quite like this. “She Could Fly” moves. Scenes hardly last for more than two pages before jetting off to the next perspective. Sometimes one page. Sometimes just a handful of panels. This book is packed with characters and it expects you to keep up.
At times that unstoppable speed feels overwhelming, and threatens to leave the reader behind. Most of the time, it drives the story forward. But in this particular issue, it also underlines the themes of two of the main stories. Luna is a teenage girl suffering from severe anxiety. Earl (aka Bill) is an investigator trying to figure out how a woman could fly, all while running from shadowy figures who wish him ill. Luna’s problems are largely internal and Bill’s problems are largely external, but their lives are spinning out of control. The reader is joined with them as they try to stop to catch their breath.
None of this would be possible without the art of Martín Morazzo. Individual panels are fine. They have an indie comic look that would have fit right in an Image comic circa 2010. Figures are stiff, faces are sort of ugly, but all of it gets the point across in a cartoony way. Its in the big picture ideas that Morazzo shines, particularly those that deal with Luna’s mental state.
Last issue, Luna found out that her teacher accidentally ran over her own cat (it was horrifying, trigger warning for dead cats). In this issue, Luna speaks to a shrink with the head of a cat, brains spilling out a hole in its head. The illusion is only broken when another person interrupts their session but the second they’re alone again, her head goes back to the dead cat. Later, Luna’s mom tries taking her to a church group meeting, and Luna has a fantasy (that spills into reality) of her screaming her allegiance to Satan. The feeling of compulsion is relatably captured for anyone with even a little bit of anxiety, and its easy to understand how severe Luna’s situation is.
That’s why “She Can Fly” works so well as a comic. Word and art are joined together to convey ideas you couldn’t get with one of those things. Sure, a movie could use a cutaway dream sequence to reveal a character’s inner fears, but in these pages it turns into something different. The fire, the skulls, the spiders, they all look like a William Blake painting driving this poor girl to madness.
Consider my skepticism abated. Throwing a novelist in the deep end doesn’t often produce a great comic, but under the careful direction of Karen Berger, this book is already shaping up to be something special. The woman who ushered in “Swamp Thing,” “Sandman,” “Hellblazer,” “Preacher,” and “Y: The Last Man” is a master of comics. Cantwell is a novice, but a wonderfully warm writer who confidently dives into the maudlin depths of strange geniuses. Even Morazzo, who has done a fair number of superhero books, is seeing his art pushed to strange new places. If “She Can Fly” is representative of what Berger Books is going to look like as a whole, I plan to read every last series.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A messy issue that’s unafraid to experiment thanks to the guiding hand of comics’ greatest editor.
