Isola #1 was first released on April 4, 2018. — **Isola #1** was first released on April 4, 2018.

By d. emerson eddy — “You can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness,” warbles Gotye in his own now modern classic, Somebody That I Used To Know. It's true, though. We often look to sad songs, sad stories, and such while we're feeling down. Part of it is undoubtedly a search for kinship, a familiarity with others in a similar situation, and a seek for cathartic release. Letting go of pent up frustration and emotion through allowing yourself to be affected by a sad story can be an immense healing process. Of the groups of storytellers that can almost always nail a feeling of sadness, a kind of ennui that stabs right at the heart of our being, and mixes it with humor, whimsy, and a feeling that even through the darkness, things just might turn out all right in the end is Studio Ghibli. Their animated features are almost beyond peer, casting a long shadow over all creators working to create things with the same kind of beauty and sadness.

In comics, there are a number of series and graphic novels that themselves claim to the heights of Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, or Howl's Moving Castle, but they usually pale in comparison. Generally I find that the comics that don't try to big themselves up as such are more likely to share elements from the animation studio. I find it's more things like Saga, Seven to Eternity, and Coda that embrace aspects, even by way of Rankin-Bass and more European stylings. Or the criminally underrated Flavor. But the one that I feel embraces that same magical beauty, presenting a tale of loss, change, and struggle in a fantastical and sad world, in its own unique way is Isola from Brendan Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, Msassyk, and Aditya Bidikar.

Through the absolutely gorgeous artwork from Kerschl and Msassyk, we're transported to a fantasy world that seems to be in upheaval. In the first issue, we're given bits and pieces of what's happened, and presented with the idea that somehow the Queen, Olwyn, has been transformed into a tiger, protected by her loyal soldier, Rook. Although here we're also given a bit of doubt. The elegance and regal nature of the tiger, the intelligence portrayed through her eyes, is more than enough to pull you into the story and believe the quest that Rook is bringing her along.

But it's not without danger and pitfalls. There's the lamentation of what's happened to the Queen and the journey that she and Rook are taking in order to reach Isola and hopefully break whatever the curse was of the transformation, but there's also the idea that the world has fallen. Through the presence of roving bands of poachers and scavengers, as well as the death of a great beast that might be tainting the rest of the wildlife through eating its flesh. There's a kind of hallucinatory or ethereal dreamlike nature to the story that makes you wonder what's real or not, or what's being presented as an allegory for us to try to figure out what's ultimately going on. Tapping into the idea that the audience can immerse themselves in the narrative, piecing it together, is one of the joys of this series.

Even in sadness, trial, and turmoil, there is still beauty in Isola #1. Fletcher, Kerschl, Msassyk, and Bidikar remind us that even when the deck is stacked against us, perseverance might pull us through. Especially if you're a cat.

Isola #1
Writers: Brendan Fletcher & Karl Kerschl
Artists: Karl Kerschl & Msassyk
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: April 4, 2018
Price: Currently Free on comiXology
Childhood friends BRENDEN FLETCHER (MOTOR CRUSH) and Eisner Award-winning storyteller KARL KERSCHL (Gotham Academy) reunite on the comics page with a breathtaking fantasy adventure two decades in the making! The captain of the Royal Guard has fled the capital city with the Queen of Maar, suffering under the effects of an evil spell. Captain Rook's only hope of returning Queen Olwyn to her throne and saving the kingdom from impending war lies on an island half a world away-a place known in myth as Isola, land of the dead.

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.