Family Trade #1 Review
Written by Justin Jordan and Nikki Ryan
Art by Morgan Beem
Letters by Rachel Deering
Reviewed by Lorna Maltman (maltmanlorna@gmail.com)
The ‘family trade’ is an old saying and, if you were going by my last name, mine would be putting malt in beer but, personally, I do not see myself joining that trade. In this issue, however, Jessa, has joined hers, which happens to be to act as protectors of their city- Thessela or the float, which is as you would have guessed from the imaginative name, a floating city.
We open with Jessa on a covert mission which goes astray and leads into intrigue and family drama; mixed in with the back story as to how the float came to be and setting up the main character relationships creates a brilliant first issue and world to explore. The family which Jessa is a part of are assassins, thieves, and liars who are currently trying to stop an uprising populist movement that threatens the normal societal structure. Jessa, who is the youngest member, takes it upon herself to solve this problem and, as previously stated, it does not go to plan.
Beem’s art is reminiscent of Lemire’s with beautiful watercolour and simplistic art and colours, giving the story a distinct sense of style and a quirkiness to the world. Beem’s use of colours to create distinct sections to the story, push the art above the normal and make me definitely want to come back for the next issue.
Verdict:
Buy. This is a great first issue and creates a character that has real flaws that make you want to root for her and follow her, along with this intriguing world.
