There is no shortage of stories that deal with some version of the end of the world, and most of the ones we tend to have to do with subjects like nuclear fallout, zombie outbreaks like The Walking Dead, or something adjacent to those concepts. That makes it challenging to find a new spin on the overall concept without treading the same ground, but it’s a challenge that Image Comics’ White Sky #1 has managed to solve, and the book’s teased future potential may be its most impressive feat.
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White Sky #1 takes place in a dystopian world that was forever changed when the sky turned white, shutting down humanity’s status quo and ushering in a new world ruled by ghosts and some sort of supernatural force. That’s already a unique premise unto itself, but the series also shakes up expectations with its choice related to a daughter and her father attempting to make their way to San Francisco. By issue’s end, we are in a truly compelling and tension-filled scenario that shows all sorts of potential for the series moving forward.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| The Dynamic Between Father and Daughter Feels 100% Genuine | The Last Page Might Go A Bit Too Far In Illustrating Its Point |
| Mavinga and Loughridge Create An Impressive Aura of Isolation and Tension | The First Few Pages Feel Largely Familiar For The Genre |
| The Series Plays With Expectations |
The Supernatural Elements Help White Sky Stand Out
You have to have a great hook for any new series, but especially when you’re bringing a new series to an already popular genre. Thankfully, White Sky decides to explore a more paranormal and even supernatural angle in its concept, and it works brilliantly.
While the first pages immediately feel familiar, we start to see some fresh concepts before the halfway point, and those concepts really hit their stride in the issue’s final few pages. That’s when the ghostly elements step out into view, and once they appear, the series starts to change in intensity and scale in a massive way.
Mavinga’s artwork and Loughridge’s colors establish a sense of isolation early on, but when the action shifts to the forefront, their approach strongly pivots, bringing a palpable dread to every scene and ratcheting up the tension tenfold. Dukeshire’s lettering accompanies their work brilliantly, and when a character speaks, you feel every word. Those final few pages set a promising foundation that should have no problem carrying momentum into issue #2 and beyond, and that will be key to keeping fans guessing as the series continues.
The Series Shakes Things Big Time (And It’s The Right Call)
While the action scenes are excellent, there’s one powerful sequence that allows everything else that follows to shine. It’s not unusual to see a few characters sharing a meal out of a can and reminiscing in post-apocalyptic stories, but few capture the dynamic between a father and a daughter in that whirlwind scenario quite like White Sky.
The entire conversation during this rare quiet moment feels wonderfully authentic, moving between lighthearted ribbing, practical planning, and heartfelt exchanges around those lost along the way. The entire sequence actually feels like it was brought to life by a father and daughter, and this sequence gives the issue its emotional connection in several ways.
This is especially true considering the final few pages, and we have to discuss the impact of those events. I don’t want to spoil it though, so all I will say is that those final few pages shift the focus of the story in a major way, both in terms of the characters involved and how things start to tie into the bigger ghostly premise.
After reading the note from Harms after the issue, the approach becomes quite clear, and for me, it was absolutely the right call. That said, one aspect of the last page does go a bit too far for me in terms of illustrating the direness of the situation, but that’s just personal preference and may not affect others the same way.
We’ll see how things play out in the future, but White Sky is off to a stellar start and has the potential to get even better moving forward.
- Published By: Image Comics
- Written By: William Harms
- Art By: JP Mavinga
- Colors By: Lee Loughridge
- Letters By: Ed Dukeshire
White Sky #1 is in comic stores now.
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