Joe Henderson, writer
Lee Garbett, art
Antonio, Fabela, colors
Simon Bowland, letters
Recap
In the previous issue, we learn through a flashback about Willa’s mother, and father, Lilly and Nate Fowler, and their life together prior to the gravity event. Before his death, Nate develops and builds an underground city in case of a gravity event. After the event, Lilly escapes and makes her way to the underground city that Nate designed where he meets a cohort of Nate’s named Randy. There, Lilly and Randy live and survive for over 20 years.
Fast forward to the present, in this issue, Lilly, Willa, and Randy discover how to leave the underground city so that they can help the rest of the team save Chicago from The Farmers. Lilly takes out some pent up aggression on the enemy turned informant, Roger Barrow. Afterward, mother and daughter fly to Chicago, arriving as the flying bugs of The Farmers arrive.
This story is compelling due to the post-apocalyptic world where the loss of gravity has decimated society. What keeps this interesting is the strong character work. This issue pushes the story closer to finality as Lilly and her mother tag-team to escape their safe spot in the underground city to save Chicago. The layers added in issue #12 pay dividends in this issue. Lilly’s courage and skill are a welcomed addition as she confronts longtime foe and slime-ball Roger Barrow. Willa is empowered by her mother’s courage, which increases the felt connection to the character. In addition, we see the fruits of Nate’s sacrifice and foresight, as Willa and Lilly follow through on the plan he initiated years ago. However, Lilly takes things a step further, which increases the bonds between the family members as a whole.
The colorful artwork continues to be a strength of this book. I’m drawn to the caricatures of the main players. The impact of the loss of gravity can be felt in each and every panel, which helps reinforce the exposition. Some panels stand out more than others, in particular, Willa and Lilly’s entry into Chicago flying a single engine airplane with bugs flying around – is cool! I highly recommend this wonderful story both as a single issue and as a collected volume once this story arc is completed. Overall 9.5/10
