Trees #6 Review

Can this series change its fortunes? Or will it continue to disappoint? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Blindhail Station is a research post on Svalbard, in the Arctic Ocean, where observers have been watching a Tree since it landed ten years earlier. Out here, out of sight of the world, something is changing. And it’s going to change everything.

Trees has overall been a rather disappointing series, as though there have been some intriguing character developments, it has overall felt like a soap opera. This is pretty much the same in this issue, as though the content is much more interesting than prior issues, there’s still a part of me that’d love to find out more about the Trees themselves.

Warren Ellis once again touches on the subject of transgender, and though I’m all for equality in comics, I’m not entirely sure if Ellis’ in your face method is the best. Nevertheless I do commend him for touching on the subject, as though I still feel the way he introduced this in Trees #4 was way too sudden, the way he shows Chenglei’s conflict around this subject is both realistic and tasteful. Additionally we are also given a few other developments, but apart from the aforementioned development, it’s only the final page that left me eager for more.

Jason Howard‘s artwork has been something that I’ve always enjoyed about this series, with his rough, gritty tone working well in this world. It is however his choice of character placement, and overall layout that catches my attention, giving a very dramatic and fluid flow to this issue. Howard also manages to capture the emotional turmoil that Chenglei’s in brilliantly, with it adding an extra layer of depth to this issue. Another thing that makes Howard’s art so impressive is his choice in colours, with the mixture of dark and pale colours working well with the gritty look.

Trees #6 proves to be an overall enjoyable entry in a rather underwhelming series. The deep character development, and bold choice in subject matter makes this a rather compelling read, though not enough to raise my spirits about the series as a whole. Nevertheless as an individual issue this scrapes by with a recommendation, but the series is still far from deserving one.