Advance Review: North Wind #1
Writer: David DiGilio
Artist: Alex Gal
Colours: Fran Gamboa & Rocio Canteros
Published By: BOOM! Studios
Was it Mad Max 2 or 3 (I’m pretty sure it was ‘Beyond Thunderdome’, the 3rd installment, starring Tina Turner… but I digress), in which a multitude of post-apocalyptic townships traded and fought over the most important commodity of all – fuel? Well, this is essentially the premise behind the first arc of North Wind, with the setting shifted to a winter not-so-wonderland, as opposed to a desert wasteland.
The first issue centres on two children from the ‘tribe’ of Outcasts, Eron and Schuyler, as they look to make their way in the world; Eron is next in line to be Headman of his clan, and is desperate to prove his worth despite his young age. During a hunting trip, the children encounter a mysterious but noble hunter, or ‘Skinrunner’ (a character who looks set to play a major part in the development of this series), who makes an unsuccessful attempt to buy them both as his apprentices. Buoyed by this interaction, Eron stows away on a trip to Lost Angeles, a cut-throat trading centre run by a dictatorial overlord, the probably-aptly-named Slaughterhouse Joe, as the Outcasts look to purchase replacement parts in order to keep their self-sufficient energy system operable.
David DiGilio, most well known as a screenwriter on ‘Eight Below’ and ‘Traveler’, does well to establish the history of this new world and outline the current status quo within the first two pages, allowing plenty of leeway (and of course page count) to craft an adventure capable of hooking new readers. The characters are written organically and honestly, appearing to drive the plot rather than being dragged along by it. That said, when the storyline is required to click into gear, it does so in a very clunky fashion. In the final act, situations occur and escalate out of the blue, with no build-up or precursor, killing any suspense or drama. The antagonists, headed by Slaughterhouse Joe, conveniently solve a pretty simple mystery just in time to enable them to engage the Outcasts as they enter his fiefdom.
The artwork is perfectly serviceable, with some lush backgrounds and well rendered backdrops that evoke the post-apocalyptic setting so central to the story. Sequentially, however, there are a number of instances of poor pacing that force the reader to fill in too many blanks, which disrupts the flow of the story in all the wrong places. (Without knowing the writing style used, it is impossible to know whether this is the fault of the artist or writer, but it certainly affects the visual power of the story.) There are also a few instances where perspective and scene angles do not quite ring true, and there are one or two odd choices of panel content used to illustrate a particular scene or event.
The future is not all midwinter-bleak – you get the impression that there are plenty more stories to tell, and there is scope to explore the multitude of societies and cultures that exist within this newly created landscape. There is obviously quite a history to unravel for the enigmatic protagonist, the Skinrunner, and DiGilio has a strong enough handle on the other lead characters, Eron and Schuyler, to suggest that they could hold the interest of readers in future issues. But ultimately, I’ve just seen this type of story (so far at least) done more effectively elsewhere.
