Written By: Brenden Fletcher/Karl Kerschl
Artist: Karl Kerschl/Msassyk
Lettering By: Aditya Bidikar
Cover by: Karl Kerschl
Published By: Image Comics
Dreamy and luscious, this visionary comic is a marvelously crafted new fantasy with a unique setting, characters, and plot. I’ve been taken since the very first issue, and the fourth book is just as strong as the previous ones. The plot is much more fast paced and switches from flashbacks to the present as Olwyn and Rook relive and attempt to currently survive all of the dangers of their world.
The storytelling of Isola is impressive and compelling. Here, we learn a lot that was only hinted at in the previous issues, and it’s all written brilliantly. Mystical and mysterious, the world building is some of the best I’ve seen in the fantasy genre in multiple mediums. The characterization and development is superb; there are very few comics that come close to this level of quality right now.
As can be seen with one glance, the art is consistently stunning throughout. The sense of motion and emotion displayed in various panels is dazzling; this should be a comic studied for its artistic prowess. Sometimes I thought it would have been nice to see some interesting page layouts with overlapping panels or a scene that stretches behind other panels, but as I flip back through the book, I realize that the organization of the boxes helps guide readers through a magically murky world – it seems to be organized very purposefully and I am thankful for the clean layouts.
My only gripe with this issue are the letters. Many of the bubbles are way too large, covering up too much of the beautiful visuals, and there were quite a few times where the text wasn’t centered in the bubble. The sound effects were great, as were the words in another language, but there was also some miniscule text that was difficult for me to read. If the lettering reaches the same high standard set by the art and story, it would be as perfect a book as perfect can be for me.
Overall: 9.5/10
Tee LaFrance Todd writes, edits, reads, explores, and creates whenever she can find the time. When she’s not engaged in some form of storytelling, you can find Tee traversing the world with her husband and her dog, making things, reading tarot cards, and generally striving to live a life beyond anything she can imagine.
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