Comic Review: Invisible Kingdom #1

Invisible Kingdom #1

Dark Horse Comics

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artist: Christian Ward

Space nuns and cargo freighters. Cool, I’m in.

G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward come together to bring readers Invisible Kingdom, a series about two people who are forced to challenge the world as they know it. I went into this series with high expectations, because these are two incredibly talented creators. G. Willow Wilson has essentially created one of the most loved Marvel characters in recent memory, while Christian Ward has an artistic style like none other. So how is it?

In this science fiction story, a nun and freighter pilot uncover a conspiracy between the galaxy’s dominant religion and the super corporation that controls every aspect of life. Now the two face severe punishment for what they know, carrying knowledge that can cripple society’s foundations. The story is somewhat familiar to science fiction, but Invisible Republic feels fresh not because of its plot, but its execution. The universe that has been crafted feels unique on its own, due to both the laws that shape the characters and the beautiful world realized by Christian Ward. Sure religion and private corporations having too much power has been done before, but readers will find that the story has never been told before with such focus.

While the world is pretty spectacular due to Wilson’s worldbuilding and Ward’s art, the characters are fascinating as well. The characters come from wildly different backgrounds and act as an effective juxtaposition to each other. The completely different personalities and perspectives of the characters keep every page feeling fresh. At the same time, the characters have similar morals and convictions, making them both easy to root for.

Christian Ward’s ability to craft abstract, almost psychedelic worlds is incredible. After his work in The Infinite Vacation and Ody-C, it’s not surprising that the setting of Invisible Kingdom was basically begging to be drawn by Ward. The amount of detail, creativity, and color in each panel is unbelievable. The galaxy, worlds, and hubs are full of life. The colors are vivid and breathe life into the pages. Like other series featuring art by Christian Ward, some of the characters look just a tad too similar, but this doesn’t hurt the experience significantly.

Invisible Kingdom demands to be read by science fiction fans. Even those who aren’t into space stuff will find plenty to enjoy in this debut issue. The characters are wonderful, the world is essentially breathing, and everything is just gorgeous. This story wouldn’t be possible with another creative team, and I can’t wait to see where Wilson and Ward take these characters.