Writer: Jeff Lemire / Penciller: Jock / Letterer: Steve Wands / Editor: Will Dennis / Assistant Editor: Tyler Jennes / Collects Snow Angels #1-#4 / ComiXology Originals via Dark Horse Comics
17th May 2022 (Release Date: 23rd February 2022)
The Pitch: Milli and Mae don't really know how their people came to live here. No one does, not even their wise and gentle Father. On Milliken's twelfth birthday, their father takes the two girls on an overnight skate down the trench-a coming-of-age ritual to teach them how to fish the frozen river, how to hunt the wild Trenchdogs that wander its frigid banks, and how to give proper thanks to their frozen Gods-The Colden Ones. It's the trip of a lifetime until the girls push beyond the borders of their humble land and awaken the Trench's deadly defender...The Snowman! What follows next is an action-packed story of survival, loss and redemption.
From the outset, this seemed like an exciting prospect. One-man comics industry Jeff Lemire teaming with superstar artist Jock would be the kind of attention-grabbing press release headline information you'd expect from the big two. However, this is a ComiXology book, a digital-first release, now in print from Dark Horse Comics as part of their deal with the digital comics provider. Its release begs the question: since this is already out digitally, is it worth buying a print copy? Well... Yeah.
I'll be honest and say although I'm OK with the digital experience, I prefer my comics printed. Nothing beats that flick-through. The first look at how art, inks, and colours sit and bleed into the page. The sound of those pages as you browse your local comic shop. And for us specialist fetish types, the smell of the binding. Hey, it's a thing, alright? But that's not for everyone. Hence the push toward digital comics in the last 20 years. Still, as long as these things see print somehow, I'm all for it. But let's talk about the book. This seems to be set on some alternate earth or Earth-like planet, with the characters sporting human form, and adopting almost Inuit and/or Nordic customs. It could be the future (or indeed, the past) but seems more like a present. The technology – when we see it – doesn't seem radically ahead of where we are now. We join a family, hunting as a part of a ritual for 12-year-old Milliken's birthday. From her, we learn about 'The Trench', a never-ending carved crevice in the ice that covers this world. Right off the bat, I found myself reminded of Snowpiercer, with its frozen lands and the endless horizon ahead. The environment makes you think of post-apocalyptic worlds and shares the physical struggle with those types of stories. Man (and children) against the unforgiving landscape.
the family become pioneers, exploring the difference between design and divinity
The society we're presented with, even in this limited three-person form, is fascinating. They worship Gods, the Colden Ones, who buried themselves in the ice. From this, they create a circular society, with their dead bodies returned to the ice to feed the Gods, who one day might grow as giants again. I found the narrative asking whether or not religious societies are all regressive. Millkien talks about her father being mocked by his fellow villagers for raising his girls 'like boys' simply because he shows them practical things like hunting and fishing. The family misses the matriarchal touch, with the girl's mother having died in childbirth and the youngest girl, Mae-Mae, bearing the guilt and more than a little anger from her sibling. There are rules to their lives, imposed on them by their society, including one about never leaving The Trench, lest they cross paths with 'The Snowman' a creature of mythical bearing in the villagers' minds but who proves all too real as the story progresses. Death often feels skated around, until it visits the village and the children are forced to hide under the dead bodies of their friends, hardly able to breathe. A little dose of death, especially for them. Or perhaps a rehearsal for things to come. But what does this all add up to? This theological life, carved out of an unforgiving wilderness? Well, the family must become pioneers, and explorers, navigating the borders of their world and discovering the difference between design and divinity.
you feel like you’re reading that lovely alchemy of words and images that are comics working as they should
No surprise, Lemire's writing is solid as a rock. His script feels as sparse as the landscape it creates. His dialogue is economic, giving you exactly as much information as you need to get the scope of the world and its belief systems, whilst keeping you gripped in the never-ending journey onwards. The book lends itself to the oral tradition of older civilisations, something that is gradually being eroded. And yet, it isn't light on text. You feel like you’re reading that lovely alchemy of words and images that are comics working the way they should. Speaking of those images, what has Jock got in store for us? Well, it's got have been tough doing this book, largely because the landscape is so sparse. But this allows Jock to frame the characters as giants – almost like the same giants, you imagine their Gods once were. His action is clear and dynamic, with sharp, definitive direction His faces show the struggle that is living in this world and his colour palette creates a rich mood. The panelling is clear, keeping you centred on the characters and the journey. Steve Wands lettering is, as always, note-perfect. One can hear the voices, crystal clear, echoing off the vast canyons of ice, coming to you on a cold wind. This is clearly the start of something big, epic. Lemire and Jock mean to take their characters on an odyssey, one that I'd quite like to join them on. Wrap up warm and get your skates on. Maybe you can join them too.
Snow Angels Vol.1 is available now at your local comic shop.