Wild Blue Yonder #1 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Is the sky-bound tale of fighter pilots and a ruined Earth really something that’s worth picking up? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

Take to the skies in this thrilling new action-adventure sci-fi tale. In the near future, mankind has destroyed the Earth, and the only refuge from radioactive pollution can be found in the skies. Unfortunately dwindling supplies and bloodthirsty air-pirates make life all the harder. Will the crew of the Dawn escape the merciless Judge and survive another week? Read the book everyone will be talking about and find out!

Through force of will and some solid gumption three creators come together to bring you this daring vision of a world with a basis that can be described as Waterworld minus the water and added the skies. We have a hardcore villain and his motley crew, a heroine and her family plus a protagonist who’s just been thrust into an aerial fray. In short: this first issue has a lot going for it.

Mike Raicht pens the script and the author does an absolutely exceptional job making this narrative feel both fresh and familiar. From the first page on he unloads a barrage of concepts that somehow, even when they’re divulged at their thickest, manage to not kill the pace. Instead they reveal themselves to be necessary back story. There were a few times where the title got a tad bit confusing with some tangents but these scenarios where few and far between. To sum up: the overall experience was really good.

The art by Zach Howard is exemplary as the talent finds a way to craft a vision that not only feels real but also has a touch of freshness that makes the battles above hopeful. Each panel is skillfully realized with pencil strokes that are executed through precision and timing, ultimately yielding a body of work that’s sure to please readers. There were moments however where the characters themselves looked off ultimately creating a few confusing visualizations.