Writer / Penciller: Jesse Lonergan. Image Comics
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11th November 2020
The Pitch: To survive after crash-landing on an alien planet, a vacationer must battle against a hostile environment, killer lizards, corporate bureaucracy, and the pessimism of her sole companion, the drug-addled captain of the ship.
There's a theme emerging in Jesse Lonergan's work, at least in the two that I've read. It sneaks up on you despite the fact that it should be obvious. Maybe it's just my dull senses that missed it (highly likely). The theme is this: Lonergan's work feels almost anti-exploration. The characters in his stories end up in danger because they encroach on places they shouldn't be. Their lives are in danger because of their environment (usually one they haven't been invited to. His work seems to say “No, don't go there. You won't come back”. But then as you read further, getting drawn into his mathematical shapes and almost computer-like precision of hand-drawn graphs and curves, something else takes hold. The message sounds louder now. Clearer. “Go there. You won't come back. And that's the best thing that could happen to you. I came to realise that Lonergan isn't anti-exploration. He's anti–observation. He's saying that we can't expect to progress forward and expect to be passive about the places we're going to. The experience will change us, for good and for always.
our lead, eunice makes the move from tourist to explorer
Lonergan understands Jeopardy. But he also understands that danger is good for the soul. Eunice, our lead, starts off as a placid observer but becomes a motivated, skilled practitioner. A fighter, assertive. Eunice respects and strives to understand the environment she's in, despite her fears. She watches and learns (as an observer) but also takes action based on what she sees and what's needed. From there, she dominates. What's fascinating is that right after building her up, Lonergan knocks her back down again. Her husband is slightly boorish and begins to reassert his imagined authority. But of course, you can't keep a good woman down. She makes a move not only in the immediacy of the story but in the larger sense of her own life. She makes the move from tourist to explorer, largely because the people around here won't rise to the challenge.
Paradise doesn't have the geometric pleasures of Hedra. Whereas that book felt more mathematical (to its credit), Paradise feels more organic and alive. Lonergan has fun with the vertical launching positions needed for space flight and the action that downs the spacecraft and begins our story. His level of detail is up there with Darrow, Skroce and Stokoe. But there's more of a relaxed, cartoony vibe to his work than those guys. His colours are gorgeous, giving you flavour and texture for the worlds we see. He also knows the strength of the empty panel, the half-filled page. His pacing is magnificent, even at the smaller sized level that paradise is published at. What I've come to realise is that Lonergan is an artist to follow and watch. He's pushing the medium in every book. Not just a tourist, but an explorer.
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