Moths #5

Moths #5

AWA Upshot Studios 2021

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Illustrated by Mike Choi

Lettered by Sal Cipriano

The next chapter of the ongoing saga of The Resistance takes an intimate look at a very special species of the superhuman race known as The Reborns. Emily Kai is what is known as a "Moth." She was granted immense power by the global pandemic known as "The Great Death," but with a caveat: The moment she taps into the power that resides within her, a clock starts and Emily will have only six months to live. Granted the opportunity to bring immense beauty into the world, but only by paying the ultimate price, Emily embarks on a harrowing journey of self-discovery that will test her to her core and take her to places way beyond her wildest imagination.

When Straczynski is on, the man is on and the not so irony of this issue is that he is able to convey that empathy to the reader in ways that are palpable, strong and very impactful. This hit me full on in the feels like a runaway freight train to the gut. It was that damn strong and well thought out and executed. Even with the representation of “the not-fake-news network” trying to railroad her and what she said this is not only as relevant as it gets but it’s just poignant and provocative nonetheless.

I am in love with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter goes above and beyond simply showcasing their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story I just gain that much more respect for Emily.

How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen is immaculately rendered. How we see the layers opening up these avenues to be explored and the kind of depth, dimension and complexity to the story which they add is insanely good. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.

The interiors here are bloody mindbogglingly gorgeous! I mean the realism aspect that we see and see it done to such a degree as this is astonishing. The linework is sublime and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to achieve this level & degree of attention to detail in the work is positively stunning. The backgrounds that we see enhance and expand the moments perfectly and then to see moments like the two-page Dodgers Stadium is just beyond insane to see. How they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is beyond impressive. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show us a master colourist at work. The depth and dimension that can be created by colour and its hues and shades elevate what we see here.

​

The passion and joy that these boys have for this series comes through on every single page. This translates to the reader in some really interesting and impressive ways as it almost seeps from the page into the readers’ fingers and stains their soul with the imprint of what is being told. The writing is extraordinary and the characterisation is beyond realistic while these uncannily eerie interiors bring it tall to life changes how comics are told.