A quiet expansion.
Creative Staff:
Story: Ted Anderson
Art: Nuno Plati
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
What They Say:
On the road to Albany. Stopping for supplies at the town of Mall. The importance of the gun. Everything’s for sale. Bargaining. What is it worth to you? What would you give?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Orphan Age was interesting in a familiar way as we’ve seen stories of adults dying off and how things move forward from there. Ted Anderson provided enough of a gap period between the event and where the book started so that we have a lot of adults here who have memories of the past and that puts the setting in an interesting light. Nuno Plati is giving it a distinctive and appealing look that I really like as it’s not minimalist or anything but it feels more defined in a way I can’t quite pin down but still feeling like it’s minimalist. The settings are great, I love the line work, and the characters are distinctive in a very appealing way.
With the trio now fully on their journey and making way toward Albany, they have to get some restocking of supplies done since it seems like they’ve lost the Church. Willa having information about a place nearby is helpful but it’s not what they expected as it’s actually a mall with sixty-one stores. Overseen by an older man named Kent, we get the tale told about what people are like when things go bad. Or, more specifically, kids. That same would go for things that they never could like treats and the like were the ones who could not survive in this new world. Others went for long term foodstuffs and made out better. But the kids that went for the supplies to build a future are the ones who end up running things because they control the system. Kent wasn’t one of those because he basically stole a mall and they’ve been selling and restocking it for twenty years now to good effect with what seems like an endless number of supplies,
There’s a lot to like in seeing the trio going through and gearing up and Princess’ story moving forward about the need for her to have a gun. She’s not against it but she’s only ever shot cans and the like. But Daniel makes it clear that she has to protect herself in this world and his duty is ensuring that she is able to do so. It’s nicely played out in her actual acquisition of the gun, coming after Will discovers what kind of people Kent and some of those working for him are like. It’s no surprise that there are darker elements to the kids that have survived and grown into adults because society is what it is, as is human nature. Things do get tense and grim quick enough to leave you uncertain and I like that. But I also like how it resolves as it makes clear what kind of person Daniel is, not just for the reader but for Willa and Princess as well. And it’ll all likely make them a lot more cautious going forward.
In Summary:
Orphan Age is an intriguing book that is taking its time to show us the world that the characters inhabit. While we had our danger and action in the opening installment, this one presents us with more danger but it doesn’t try to go for it in a really big way and that helps to keep it tight and personal. Anderson’s script provides for a lot of good details and clues to how the world operates while Plati’s artwork gives us the bleakness of it but also the hopefulness combined with the color design. This is the kind of book you could liken to a Walking Dead series without zombies as it focuses on the survival side of a post-apocalyptic world. I want more of it and depending on the intent and structure of this series, is one that could go on for quite some time.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: May 15th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
