Broken Frontier

Your parents have been murdered and their killers are now after you. How do you stay alive long enough to even try and comprehend what’s going on?

Pella Suzuki has had a nice life. Just a normal teenager trying to get through life, she never expected anything could so thoroughly destroy that. But after coming home and finding her parents lying murdered on the floor, Pella realizes her life will be anything but normal anymore. So, as she tries to evade her two groups of pursuers, she eventually gets a posthumous message from her parents that starts to explain just what she is in the middle of.

I was a little wary of picking this book up at first. Brian Wood is an exceptional writer and I have enjoyed everything he’s written; however, many of his books feel the same, in theme, characterization, and the overall message he is trying to convey about the world and its inhabitants. So I almost expected that this miniseries would push me over the edge and I’d have to say the words "no more wood" on my next visit to the comic store. Thankfully, with each successive issue, this series has separated itself more and more from Wood’s other books. While the main character is still a teenager who is forced to grow up very fast in a world she realizes she doesn’t really know, the storytelling and abundance of action serve to keep this book moving at a very solid pace. Whereas most of Wood’s protagonists spend a lot of time figuring things out and finding a way to exercise their own voice, Pella barely has the time to even find out what has happened. The dialogue is spot on, as Wood shows nary a problem getting into the heads of his characters.

Seeing as how most of Brian Wood’s writing takes place in the near future of an Earth that very much resembles our own, some might expect him to work with more realistic artists. And interestingly enough, when Wood does his own artwork, it tends to lean very much towards that style. However, when it comes to the artists he works with he tends to get a very stylized artist. Kristian very much fits that bill. His character designs are simple, highlighted by the skilled inkwork and exceptional colors. Kristian’s artwork seems to be heavily influenced by the likes of Ashley Wood (if Ashley stayed between the lines). And just because the character designs are simple, that does not mean that Kristian doesn’t know how and when to add detail. The sweeping cityscapes and detailed work on a lot of backdrops keeps the book grounded yet enough is added to keep that futuristic feel. But most impressively is the way the artwork keeps up with the writing. The book is well paced, all the action scenes are impressive, and the tension levels are properly moderated.

It’s nice to see such a change of pace from Brian Wood. One can only hope that he continues to show the growth he normally reserves for his protagonists. And also that he continues to bring Kristian along with him. For surely if he doesn’t, someone else will.