Written by: Jay Faerber
Art by: Sumeyye Kesgin
Color by: Ron Riley
Letters/Design by: Thomas Mauer
Covers by: Sumeyye Kesgin and Andrew Robinson
Published by: Image Comics
Fantasy Revisionist Anachronistic History Lessons
Just about everyone is at least conversationally familiar with the story of Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic. Born 24 July 1897, she disappeared without a trace on 02 July 1937 in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Many theories have been entertained over the last eight decades regarding Lady Lindy’s disappearing act, but in eighty years, no definitive evidence of Earhart, her navigator Fred Noonan, or her Lockheed Electra 10E has been found.
There’s good reason for that, as we learn in Elsewhere #1, since Earhart’s wreck landed her not on Howland Island, but in a strange alien land called Korvath. In the opening sequence, writer Jay Faerber introduces two hairy humanoids, chained together and on the run from the mysterious Lord Kragen.
The two natives, Cort and Tavel, do their best to bring Amelia up to speed with where she is, what’s going on, and why she should be very, very afraid. The setup works nicely as an expository device.
Women must pay for everything. They do get more glory than men for comparable feats. But, also women get more notoriety when they crash. –Amelia Earhart
Jay Faerber’s script does an excellent job staying true to Amelia’s character, while writing an insane script centered on her inspiring heroism. Few people know just how controversially progressive Earhart was, especially for the period. At a time when women were told how to dress, how to speak, and what to wear, Earhart defied convention.
This book is fun to look at. The heavy, clean linework by Sumeyye Kesgin is pretty amazing. Everything is just familiar enough to keep the reader invested, while being foreign enough to keep us slightly off balance. Ron Riley’s palette fits the script and imagery beautifully. Cool blues and purples in the night air, angry reds and oranges in Lord Kragen’s throne room.
Elsewhere has a little something tucked away for just about everyone. Here is an inventive story that has a strong, historically based, female lead thrown into an anachronistic alien landscape with a tyrannical dictator. What’s not to love?
Overall: 8/10
Brendan Allen has probably had more jobs than you would reasonably believe. Dog trainer? He’s done it. Flooring contractor? Yep! EMT? Army NBC specialist? Road dog for a Celtic rock band? Yes, yes, and och aye! Now he reads comics and writes about them.
