A new leap of faith.
Creative Staff:
Story: G. Willow Wilson
Art: Christian Ward
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
What They Say:
On the Sundog, Grix is desperately fleeing Lux . . . and running out of fuel. On Duni, Vess wrestles with her spiritual doubts and the newfound knowledge that she is not alone. When she responds to the Sundog’s mysterious distress signal, the unlikely pair will learn too quickly that there is no turning back now.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The invisible Kingdom has covered a lot of ground in its first two installments all while still feeling a bit thin in some ways. It’s not exactly decompressed or anything but it’s not jamming so much into it that it’s overly busy and stuffed. But through what Wilson has brought in with the script and characters and the way that Ward illustrates it, everything feels like it has space to breathe and exist and become something more. The continued expansion of the story here definitely fits in with the pacing of what we’ve gotten before but there’s also that sense that things are ramping up more as the tension kicks up and everything gets ready to shift to the next level.
It’s still mostly following the two-pronged approach with how it’s unfolding, though it’s coming together by the end here. I continue like Vess’ story more as there’s a bit more meat to it – and fewer characters which makes it more personal – as she struggles with how Mother Proxima is dealing with her after what she’s revealed. She’s on her bad side and it’s becoming a publish lashing down as well, which really makes an impact on not just Vess but everyone else wondering what happened since Vess was the best scriptorian that they’ve had in memory. I really liked seeing how Vess comes close to admitting some of it but still trying to not give anything away. Having it all come to a head with contact from the outside once again, however, sets her on a new and dangerous path.
We do get a decent bit of focus on what’s going on with Grix and his crew after the escape that they made and now being pretty much wanted everywhere. They’re low on fuel, working with no plan, and way too much uncertainty. I like seeing how Grix is trying to pull things together for at least a longer run to put a plan together, but when the reveal comes in with a new signal that’s actually from Vess, everything is up for grabs. I love the overall briefness of the conversation, the reveal of how it all came together, and that you get Grix basically knowing quickly that if there’s someone who has the goods on Lux and the Renunciation, he’s going to need it in order to survive what’s to come. It turns into a great sequence when he heads to basically meet Vess and bring her on board because she’s going to need protection as we get some solid Grix material that shows why he’s captain and just how well he operates under pressure.
In Summary:
Invisible Kingdom isn’t racing hard and fast to get into its story but it’s also not meandering in getting there. I imagined it would take longer to bring Vess and the crew of the Sundog together so I’m curious to see how this plays out now that they’re all fully on the run. Wilson’s script is really strong here with some great dialogue and solid pacing that keeps it alive and engaging both on the first reread and later reads. Ward’s artwork is just fantastic with its color design, layouts and the overall flow for everything. I can’t wait to read more of this and to be able to read multiple issues at once in a binge session to see just how much better the flow of the story works than it already does.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics / Berger Books
Release Date: May 22nd, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
