Posted in: Comics, Image, Review | Tagged: Brenden Fletcher, fantasy, image comics, Isola, Karl Kerschl, Msassyk

Isola #1 Advance Review: Beautiful Art and Subtle World-Building

A lone warrior named Rook protects her queen in the wildlands. They search for an island called Isola. Her queen is trapped in the form of a great cat, and the two must duck every hunter in the forest if the queen is to survive. The hunters are ruthless, so Rook must be equally so.

Isola #1 is a very atmospheric and art-intensive read which relies more on its visuals than narration or dialogue. There is still dialogue, but it's minimal and takes place mostly in one-sided conversations between Rook and the tiger queen.

The comic leaves it to you to put the pieces together as to what is happening, but it doesn't bury the lead. It's easy to understand the important plot points from Rook's conversations with her queen.

The world is dangerous and fearsome, with beasts lurking around every corner and one particularly huge dead bird to leave you wondering about some of the backstory of this world. However, that will have to wait for the story to expand. Like I said, you can pick up the important points from the story.

Karl Kerschl and MSASSYK do some phenomenal work, and their artwork is what primarily holds the entire comic together. They bring a distinct and stylistic aesthetic to the comic. Each character is distinct. The beasts have great designs. Even the tiger-queen is varying shades of blue. The color work is phenomenal, making the environment stick out and appeal all the more. This is an absolutely gorgeous and absorbing comic.

Isola #1 is visually stunning first outing for Brenden Fletcher, Kerschl, and MSASSYK. The story is interesting and leaves just enough clues to leave you wanting more. The art is beautiful and weaves a world both familiar and wildly distinct from our own. The pacing is good, and the world of the book brings the term "atmospheric" to a new level. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.

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