Comic Review: She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot (2019-) #5

She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot (2019-) #5

Dark Horse Comics

Writer: Christopher Cantwell

Artist: Martin Morazzo

The original She Could Fly series took me by surprise. I had zero ideas of what it would be about, but from the first issue, I was hooked. We’re now at the end of She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot, and boy has it been a journey. The comic tells the tale of a jetpack, multiple governments fighting over it, love and betrayal. And at the center of it all is Luna, a girl with her own mental issues, trying to find out why this woman she never knew wanted to fly.

This issue sees pretty much everything come to its boiling point. Luna finds the flying woman’s family, in search of answers. The answers she does get aren’t quite what she wants though. While she’s with the woman’s family, police and FBI find them and start making arrests. That’s only about the first third of the comic, and to get further into the plot spoils a lot of it. This not being a superhero comic, where the hero is fine at the end of the day. I think this is something that people should read to experience.

I really like this issue, it’s not without its problems, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. As a conclusion for the story, it fits with the tone the series presents. I think where the characters end up fits, and feels like a natural point for them. I don’t know if there’ll be another She could Fly series, but where this issue ends, I could see it happening. And if it doesn’t, I think the ending fits just as well. Christopher Cantwell is a great storyteller. This issue mostly has that feeling of concern for the characters, and the situation they’re in. But I will say there’s at least one moment that caught me off guard and had me laughing out loud.

Martin Morazzo is one of the (relatively) small number of artists where I can recognize their style immediately. This and Ice Cream Man from Image have burned his style in my head. I think his art here is as good as it’s ever been. There’s the regular world the characters exist in, and then every few pages these otherworldly images that take place in Luna’s head. There’s not too many in this issue, but the ones present are only made better with the colors from Miroslav Mrva. The comic has this kind of desaturated look to it that fits the winter setting, and the tone of the story. The images taking place in Luna’s head are full of color, and really stand out.

The one problem I did have with this issue is that it feels a bit rushed. Things just jump at you, I feel, without much of a transition. It’s not so bad that it’ll confuse you to how things happen, but it feels a lot faster than the pace of the rest of the series. But, being the end of the story, I can forgive it a bit. It’s better than leaving some things hanging with no answer. Overall, I do enjoy this issue. The art is as fantastic as it’s always been, and the story is solid. If you’ve been reading this, I don’t think this issue will disappoint you.