Review: Image Comics’ Miyazaki-Inspired ISOLA #1 Is Beautiful and Intriguing
Fans of Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl have eagerly anticipated their new series from Image Comics, ISOLA, since its announcement at Image Expo 2016. The fantasy story, about a soldier escorting her queen (currently in the form of a turquoise-striped tiger) on a perilous journey to a mythic underworld island, has drawn comparisons to the work of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. Fletcher and Kerschl have spoken of Miyazaki’s influence on their work, so this is not by happenstance. ISOLA’s thematic and aesthetic homages to films like Princess Mononoke, full of fantastical creatures and a foreboding sense of danger, are thoughtfully crafted aspects of its world-building and storytelling.
Silent moments that give stories a little breathing room and allow audiences to fully immerse themselves in lush details are a hallmark of Miyazaki films. ISOLA’s opening scenes use this technique, quietly coaxing readers into the tale rather than thrusting us into a loud, explosive action scene or dragging us along with exposition. The silence of these pages is also the perfect opportunity to highlight some gorgeous color work by Msassyk, in which the rainy pre-dawn darkness is so cold and haunting, a pale orange morning comes as a warm relief.
Silence is a driving force throughout the story, even when there is action or dialogue. As a tiger, Queen Olwyn cannot speak to Rook, her captain of the guard and protector on their urgent pilgrimage—that is to say, Olwyn cannot speak with words. Kerschl has created a vocabulary of facial expressions and body language that gives her a voice as surely as the expressive lettering by Aditya Bidikar gives Rook hers. Still, Olwyn’s imposed silence causes endless distress for Rook, who must make presumptions and decisions that have potentially life-or-death consequences, without the permission or guidance from her queen that she must certainly be accustomed to.
Like a Miyazaki film, I wouldn’t take anything for granted in ISOLA. This world is tinged with magic and peril. Gargantuan beasts are hunted by ruthless clans who seem to have little regard or reverence for the spirit of fellow living creatures or the deities who may watch over them. Miyazaki’s villains are almost never entirely evil, just as heroes are rarely entirely good, and I suspect that multi-faceted characterization probably tracks in ISOLA as well. True identities are complicated, and motivations are unclear. It is often in misunderstanding, rather than malice, that conflict occurs.
While I’m certainly curious about the circumstances that caused Queen Olwyn to be transformed into a tiger, why she must journey to the underworld to break the curse, and what she and Rook will encounter along the way, I find myself most drawn to the relationship between them. Ultimately, my favorite thing about Miyazaki films is that they explore the many different facets of love. Fletcher and Kerschl have so adeptly incorporated some of the more nuanced attributes of Miyazaki’s oeuvre into ISOLA that I think Rook’s absolute devotion to her queen is likewise crucial to this story, in ways we don’t yet understand. There is still much to discover, and I’m eager to read more of ISOLA. I only wish it came with a Joe Hisaishi score!
Tia Vasiliou is a senior digital editor at comiXology. You can find her on Twitter @PortraitofMmeX.
(images: Image Comics)
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