By Keigen Rea — Buy this comic. Your shop might be sold out, in which case, buy it digitally. Or have it shipped to you. You want to read this issue, even if you plan to trade wait. This is the start of something special, and it feels like it has the makings of being a Saga-level hit. Buy it! 

This comic, it’s just so good. It does everything a good first issue should do, and does so much better than any other comic this year. Part of this is due to being oversized (30 pages of art!!!), but it does so on every level of craft I can see, even on the simplest level. 

Take the solicit. Typically when I see a solicit like the one for Stillwater, I hope that the book jumps off with the assumption that I’ve already read it. This book doesn’t do that so much. It’s not until late(ish) in the issue that the characters learn about the first sentence of the solicit. Normally I’d scrunch my nose at that, but here it almost helped build suspense rather than deflate it. It’s a misstep I’ve probably seen a hundred times that the team didn’t just dodge but instead used it to elevate the issue. 

But, uh, Ramón K Perez really just went off. And it’s not even like I wasn’t already a fan of his! I first saw his work in Hawkeye with Lemire writing, and he was already great back then. Easy to compare to Nick Dragotta, but still, those watercolor flashbacks were glorious. Now, I’ve been more mixed on Perez since then, but I’ve been quietly waiting for him to do something special. This is it. This is the special thing. 

I think Ramón K Perez was already standing out and doing unique work, but his work in Stillwater is next level. Aesthetically, the people don’t all look like supermodels, but they have a purposeful look in Ramón’s linework. The acting is incredible, and the storytelling is clear. I’m not always one who enjoys really wide panels, but  last of the issue is made up of six or seven wide panels stacked on top of each other. Ramón uses that space in creative ways throughout the issue, and it never feels annoying or stale. Plus, it’s 30 pages! 

Mike Spicer should get credit here as well, because holy hell did he kill this issue. It has the dreamy, emotional coloring of Tula Lotay’s art, but layers on top of Perez gives it a very different vibe, one much closer to horror, which, uh yeah. Delicious. Some of his work with fire is just great, and there’s a sequence during the day where the colors ramp the emotions up.  

Rus Wooton does fine work here. I never felt like anything was hard to read or placed in a weird spot. Page 30 of the digital version I have has some good stuff with leading the eye, but mostly it feels like he stayed out of the way this issue, which is totally fine.

You guys know who’s totally fine? Chip “the snack” Zdarsky. More than fine, even, perhaps hot. Chip is hot, in the face, body, and topically, he’s on a crazy hot streak where writing is concerned. This feels like a culmination of that hot streak, and it’s the kind of book that I can imagine having 50 print runs of the early issues. This is clearly a team effort, but Chip didn’t just bring his “writing hand,” he brought an Eisner win and years of reader’s good will. It will make perfect sense to me if this book blows up the way it should, and a lot of that is due to the team capitalizing on Chip’s prior success. 

Go buy this comic!!!

Overall: This comic feels designed for everyone to enjoy it, and I think everyone will. It’s extra-sized for the same cost as the average comic, and it is extremely worth it. Jump on now and don’t regret it. 9.9/10

REVIEW - Stillwater #1

Stillwater #1
Writer: Chip Zdarsky 
Artist: Ramón K Perez
Colorist: Mike Spicer 
Letterer: Rus Wooton 
Publisher: Image Comics - Skybound 
Price: $3.99
Nobody dies. In the town of Stillwater, that’s not just a promise. It’s a threat. Join superstar writer CHIP ZDARSKY (THE WHITE TREES, Daredevil) and Eisner Award-winning artist RAMÓN K PÉREZ (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, Jane) as they dive into a world of horror and intrigue in this new ongoing Skybound series.
Release Date: September 16, 2020
Buy It Digitally: Stillwater #1

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Keigen Rea enjoys coming up with new bios but also sometimes forgets, but when he forgets, know that he still loves you and wants what’s best for you. Find him @prince_organa on Twitter because addiction.