Skyward #3
Image Comics
Writer: Joe Henderson
Art & Cover: Lee Garbett
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
As the people of earth continue to reconcile with the events of G-Day, the world longs for a sense of normalcy and the new industrial age could be the disheartening answer.
Skyward returns with a great chapter in the story of the world without gravity. People dart about Chicago hundreds of feet above the ground, magnetized shoes are all the rage, and money is flowing into those that are engineering the new anti-gravity industrial age. Joe Henderson, showrunner of FOX’s (and new Netflix’s) Lucifer, brings a great deal of emotion and research to the genre. It’s this grounded tale (puns, right?) that allows the science-fiction aspects of the story to really take off (last one, I swear). In issue #3, titled “My Low-G Life”, we continue with Willa’s journey to help her father regain his sanity so she can fulfill her dream to travel the world. Yet, in her mission to experience the world she may have forgotten to contemplate on thing: is her father really crazy?
Continuing from the last issue’s cliffhanger, we are introduced to the richest man in the post-gravity world: Roger Barrow. As with any great science-fiction, it delves into the possibilities and consequences of a major change to our world. “We had to rethink farming, irrigation, cattle, delivery of goods. The production line itself had to change because it relied on one thing: gravity.” It’s the hidden motives behind G-Day that come to light in this issue and, as in most stories, they’re financial. This is evident in an excellent series of panels that take Willa through a wealthy district and show the true disparity between the classes. Through the beautiful art of Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela, each setting shines with details that show us a little more of this new version of Chicago. Garbett also uses great framing and pacing that adds an amazing layer of tension while still subtly giving explanations of a new world via small items in the background.
With the delve into the ramifications and possible solutions to the gravity, epidemic comes the heartbreaking aspects of a changed world. The loss of loved ones worldwide has caused a great shift in the social dynamic. Hidden within the overarching tale of G-Day is the heartbreaking story of Edison, a character that was once confined to a wheelchair but can now float freely and with no gravity. This miracle liberation is juxtaposed by his family’s attempt at keeping the status quo through the use of magnetized floors which, in turn, force their son back into a wheelchair even though he no longer needs one. It’s these moments that hint at the bigger story and has me thinking of the wild destinations that this story can take us.
Skyward does what all great science-fiction does: it turns a mirror on society while also giving us an exciting story told with great imagination. The possibilities of this story are endless and I can only hope that Joe Henderson and company continue to bring us such a well written and thought-out series.
A must-read for fans of new science-fiction, Skyward keeps its promise of a unique story set in a limitless world.