Everything old is new again, but if you remember what happened before, does it make it old again?
Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Jonathan Brandon SawyerWhat’s to Love: We believe Christopher Sebela is one of the most exciting new comic writers and his idea of reincarnated assassins who are forever fighting, killing, and loving each other throughout endless lives is another reason why. Plus, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer’s (Critical Hit) expressive art style reminds us of Becky Cloonan and Sean Gordon Murphy, and it’s just perfect for Welcome Back.
What It Is: Mali and Tessa have lived hundreds of different lives throughout time, caught up in an eternal cycle as they take part in a war so old that neither side remembers what they’re fighting for anymore. As Mali wakes up in her newest life, she suddenly becomes self-aware and starts to question everything, especially why she continues to fight. But elsewhere, Tessa is already on the hunt…
Déjà vu is, in my opinion, one of my favorite scientific mysteries of the all-time. The idea that you have seen or done something before even though you might not have is so deliciously befuddling. There is no true explanation for why it happens and for some it can have an incredibly profound effect. It begs the question, what if you were able to harness that power and live that same life with the same thoughts over and over again?
Christopher Sebela introduces this high concept throughout the first issue of “Welcome Back” with great ease. Two warriors are battling each other for years, and neither of them truly knows why only that they are drawn to each other. No matter how many times they die and are resurrected they continue this battle no matter what. However one of these warriors, Mali, a teen in the Midwest in 2015, becomes aware of what is happening things start to unravel. Her mortal enemy Tessa however is here to keep the tradition alive no matter what the cost might be.
If that sounds a lot like Aeon Flux I would agree with you. That was the first thing that popped into my head and the two could not be any more different. Sebela gives his warriors very interesting purpose from early on. One is bent on keeping things going and the other wants out of this never ending cycle. What is interesting is Sebela never makes it clear who is on the side of good or evil. The opening narration gives a clear idea of what is at stake but no definition on anything else.
Going through the different time periods prior and to the modern day, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer shows incredible range within a few pages. His style is a little cartoony in the way the characters are rendered; all the characters seem realistic without going too far overboard, and their facial expressions give the story a natural feel. Sawyer gives a true sense of personality to every face that is drawn; this is especially true at a party scene in the back half of the book. Little details like this make it easy to invest in any character I saw on the pages no matter how significant their part was in the story. Carlos Zamudio handles the colors and his work is exemplary in the transitions between the different lives the characters have lived. All of the different battles are bathed in blood to show how truly brutal it has been for both sides. If this had been in black & white the impact would be lessened because the blood in question flows from page to page. It is a fantastic metaphor for the length at which this has been going on for. The ending visual of blood being everywhere and the memory of that coming to Mali in 2015 is one of my favorite moments of the book. To tie it all together, Sawyer and Zamudio use a coffee cup falling over to show the power of this revelation.
Most of the story takes places in the evening and the blueish purple colors depict this dark world with great clarity. There is never a moments where anything is not clearly defined or is there anything that looks out of place. The main characters are dressed in dark colors perhaps to show the darkness within themselves and the world they are stuck in. Any true moment of light is quickly turned away back into the darkness.
Continued belowTessa gets a completely different introduction as she is the one looking for her enemy. She is in Lisbon, Portugal, trying to track down Mali and her characterization gives a better idea of the different elements of this war. Sebela literally gives the architecture of the different pieces in this war and how it all fits together. Interestingly, Tessa is accused of not taking the proceedings seriously when it seems like she is the one who wants to fulfill her destiny as she has been. Sebela doesn’t play favorites here; there is plenty to root for in Tessa even if she might be the “bad guy” of the story. She is self-aware as well, but she is asking why is this happening to her as if she is going to discover the meaning of life. But her primal instincts never leave her and she still must find and kill Mali at all cost.
There is a lot to enjoy about “Welcome Back,” as I predict most will gravitate to Tessa and her motivations. Her anti-hero status in the story is an excellent back up to Mali’s “I am out and then they pull me back in” mentality she has now. There is an excellent twist in the final panel that brings all of the elements discussed in the book together to a new starting point. Turning the story on its head might seem like a stunt, but Sebela makes it all work in such a way that I am very excited to see where issue #2 takes the story in terms of the mythology. This is the type of book I love to see from Boom! Studios because the high concept idea is never dumbed down to make it more digestible. The creative team takes a risk and it pays off to make for a very exciting, action packed series with just the first issue.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – The plot is a big concept idea that is introduced with just enough details to whet the appetite for more. Well done art bring it all together for a fun ride. Highly recommended.
