'Skyward' #10 Review: A High-Flying Feat Starring a Strong-Willed Woman

What do you get when you mix anti-gravity, carnivorous bugs, and a heroine who just won't quit? In the worst of circumstances, you would get a flop, but Image Comics avoid catastrophe with the idea. The publisher is courting finely curated chaos with Skyward, and its latest issue proves why the freshman title is in a league of its own.

Written by Joe Henderson, Skyward seemed like an easy enough title to start. The story goes a little something like this: a girl named Willa is born into a world where gravity existed, and then it did not. A series of events brought the world to "G-Day," the point in time where gravity went away and all of humanity was thrown into disarray.

Flash-forward a few years and Willa is literally living an off-the-walls life. With no gravity to keep her down, the heroine lives high up with her recluse scientist father while the rich schmooze below on the streets thanks to some high-tech shoes. All is well until Willa discovers her father's involvement with G-Day, and she learns the man backing the tech of the rich and famous is complicit in humanity's floating plight.

Issue #10 picks up the story at an important crossroad, and Skyward is forced to choose the kind of series it will become. Even though it has some meaty issues under its belt, Skyward has yet to pin down its identity. It is part sci-fi, but also thriller with a dash of mystery thrown in for kicks. The multifaceted title has layers upon layers, and this latest issue blends their flavors together like a good dip.

Skyward #10 specifically follows Willa as she does the one thing she never thought she'd do: free the man who set in motion the events leading to her dad's death. After Roger Barrow was captured by Lucas' gang, the farmer-turned-zealot wanted to use the tycoon to start a war. The tech giant's death would kill millions, but Lucas was willing to accept the cost if it meant getting revenge. The price is far too much for Willa to consider, so she goes against every instinct in her body to break Roger free.

As the issue continues, fans follow Willa as she risks it all to free her enemy, and her comrade Edison dealt one-on-one with Lucas. In a matter of pages, fans are thrown back and forth with reveals. Edison sold out information about Willa's plans, Lucas destroyed his own home to force a full-on war, Roger is on the run, and Willa, well.

Willa has a decision to make.

If Skyward has one strength, it is Willa and her unabashed self. To say the girl is headstrong would be putting things lightly. Despite her fear and reservations, Willa is the kind of girl to see things through, so she begins her journey in earnest. At last, Skyward is ready to kick off Willa's venture to return gravity, and this packed issue proves the comic has what it takes to guide one complex trek. In due time, Skyward stands to become a beloved title thanks to its strong-willed heroine, and it would do readers well pick up an issue before the series soars too far out of reach.

Published by Image Comics

On January 30, 2019

Written by Joe Henderson

Art by Lee Garbett

Colors by Antonio Fabela

Letters by Simon Bowland