Comic Review: Royal City #12

Royal City #12

Image Comics

Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire

Jeff Lemire is one of the hardest working writers in comics. Right now, in my personal opinion, Royal City is the best thing he is putting out. The comic tracks a family saga in a decrepit manufacturing town, which might not sound like the most riveting story. But the comic is written so honestly, you would think Lemire had experienced these events himself and most of this is autobiographical (and if you read the letters sections you can tell he feels the same way). Reminiscent of his first break through work, Essex County, Royal City looks at realistic people and tells an emotionally grabbing story that is sure to break your heart. Specifically the comic follows a family who has lost their youngest son, Tommy, and how the family reacts to this loss with each member conjuring their own version of Tommy to cope.

The latest issue finally gives readers an explanation of how Tommy died that fateful evening. However, this isn’t narrated in a linear fashion, instead, the explanation takes place as Tommy’s daughter listens to his old tape recorder. This issue is largely silent and the art illustrates more on the radio waves that seems to have led to Tommy’s demise. These radio waves seem to be a link between the past and the future, perhaps illustrating that one can live beyond death through the things they held closely like music. As the series comes to a close this arc, it will be interesting to see how Lemire chooses to wrap things up. While things seem to be arcing positively, I wouldn’t put it past Lemire to give us a darker ending that leaves readers pondering.

Lemire’s art is an acquired taste, but I could think of no artist better qualified to tell this tale. His realistic storytelling matches his style of art and together they create a genuine expression of his voice as a storyteller. In my opinion, Lemire’s strength is not his line work but the colors that he chooses to use. He chooses to color the entire book with watercolors which compounds on his art to create something truly special. There is a splash page where Tommy, in the past, is out of focus looking at a radio tower and the majority of the page is saturated with greys and blues. However the radio tower is emitting these waves and connecting with Tommy, Lemire here chooses to use bright full-color portraits of Tommy’s family in the future set on a green. Setting up these clashing colors on a splash page and showing how Tommy, who in previous pages was in the tonal blues and greys of the past is brought into color by connecting with the radio waves, shows Lemire’s storytelling prowess by using all parts of the comic.

Also adding to the theme/motif of music that pervades this comic, Lemire has been giving mixed tapes of the 90’s music he has listened to while writing the comics. These songs both give us an insight as to what Tommy might be listening to as well as just a lovely collection of musical deep cuts from the 90’s. Might I recommend checking out his Spotify that he has set up!