Review: THE AUTUMNLANDS #8

Theautumnlands_08-1

THE AUTUMNLANDS #8
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Benjamin Dewey, Jordie Bellaire
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: December 16, 2015

F***. This f***ing comic is pretty f***ing great.

Apologies for the Learoyd moment, it just…happens after I read Autumnlands. This is one of the most unique, entertaining stories in the wide world of comics and Kurt Busiek continues to surprise me with his dialogue and script work with each issue. Leoroyd and Dusty’s bizarre partnership is delightful, as the dichotomous pair traverse this rich world, seemingly getting themselves into more trouble as they roam. Busiek has a knack with these characters, as he does in all of his creator owned work, for making them sound like people everyone knows. Dusty reminds me of a lot of kids (and also my dog) and I know more people like Leoroyd than I can count. Even though one of these characters is an anthropomorphic dog and the other is a foul mouthed human in the middle of a fantasy world, they are completely engaging because of how “real” they sound. Dusty’s dialogue and naiveté is more convincing than most dialogue I read in comics on a monthly basis and he is a strong character because of it.

An equally strong component to the excellent dialogue and writing in this issue is Benjamin Dewey and Jordie Bellaire’s exceptional artwork. The term “dream team” always makes me think of basketball, but this duo really is a dream artistic team. Dewey’s pencils and Bellaire’s colour work build a lush fantasy world that is engrossing and dynamic without being over the top. Yes, this comic filled with magic and anthropomorphic animals is not over the top, and that’s because Dewey and Bellaire sell it. They’ve built this world well and even the addition of some utterly bizarre characters in this issue doesn’t feel out of place. By their hands, I’m not sure anything could feel out of place, even a swearing, brawler of a human amongst a kingdom of animals. This comic is easy on the eyes and their run of great looking issues continues with #8.

The Autumnlands #8 is another great chapter in this truly unique series. Anyone who enjoys fantasy worlds needs to be reading this comic, and even if typical “fantasy” isn’t your jam, give this one a go. This creative trio is a force to be reckoned with and I hope they continue to build the world of Autumnlands for a very long time.

The Verdict: 9.0/10

Authors

Related posts

Top