Joe Henderson, writer
Lee Garbertt, art & cover
Antonio Fabela, colorist
Simon Bowland, letterer
Recap
This story began with an event that leads to the earth losing much of its gravitational pull momentarily sending everyone and everything skyward. The hero, Willa, along with her friends search for an explanation. She discovers that her father predicted the event and that he built an underground base for safety. Parts of society break down and new groups fill the void left by those who can adjust. In this issue, city governments have embraced their new normal caused by low gravity. Individuals struggle to rebuild farms and an infrastructure that can protect the people. Other remnants strive to take advantage of the chaos.
In the next to last issue, Willa Fowler and her friends save Chicago from Lucas and The Farmers, a group he manipulated to bomb Chicago. The battle brought Willa back in contact with her mother, Lilly, and their shared goal to save Chicago served to rebuild their relationship. This sequence of events emphasizes what a highlight of this series, the characters relationships with each other and the intrinsic motivation of the hero to respect human life.
Another highlight of the book is the lighthearted, true-to-age, interactions between this group of young people. For example, within the context of a world in constant transition Willa and her friend, Edison Davies, start dating. The decision to date by these characters is a statement about hope. That there is a future and that relationships are the key to their future. The connection between Willa and Edison feels earned given everything that they’ve been through together.
The art has served to create a world that makes the unbelievable come to life. There are countless panels in Issue #14 showing armies of The Farmers and groups protecting the city flying through the air. The trajectory of the characters in flight create a kind of controlled chaos like a swarm of bees pouring out of a hive. In this issue, it’s the final scene which shows Willa moving skyward reminiscent of the first issue. The imagery brings the reader full circle and also leave a clear message: this story is over but there are a lot more to tell should the authors chose to revisit these characters.
There is not a critique that I can formulate about this issue. It wraps up all the loose ends and leaves the reader with a hopeful feeling about the future for the main characters. The only regret I have is that issue #16 will not be produced. I highly recommend this book as one of the best ongoing titles this year. Overall 9.5/10
