After several months away from the comic, we finally get to catch up with The Wake! That cliffhanger at the end of last issue was huge and sets the course for the new status quo of this half of the mini-series. What will be coming next for us? Is it good?
The Wake #6 (DC Comics)
It’s about 200 years after the events of the first half of the comic. The world has flooded, America has been divided into territories with their own rulers, fresh water is running low, and a young woman named Leeward is making a living selling the heads of mermaids. She lives by herself and is trying to build a machine to pick up signals from the murky depths of the ocean. There’s a legend out there that says a voice from the sea can provide the solution to how to deal with the mermaids once and for all.
Personally, I think more combat dolphins are the key here, but what do I know?
With such a drastic, but understandable, change in scenery to basically everything, this entire issue is all about the mythology and world building. It needs to introduce lots of new concepts and show how different everything is (the politics, the life people now live, the technology, and even the new world layout). The comic is great with introducing all of these elements through the dialogue, imagery, and even in a map of the future America. It paints the picture for how things are without the story feeling so bloated or being hampered. It feels natural and doesn’t take you out of the story.
Our new main character for the story now is Leeward, a hunter who searches for a great signal (she appeared a few times in the first half through some flash-forwards). She has a great introduction when the first issue starts, has a decent motivation and comes across as a character you would want to know more about. We don’t have much in the way of backstory or a fleshed out personality like Lee Harper, but hopefully the remaining issues will correct that as time goes on. The same extends to the other characters as well, like the government leaders we see. They seem interesting enough, but we could use some more backstory or personality building. There’s a lot of potential here with these individuals.
Oh grandma, you say the silliest things.
Snyder’s writing in The Wake, as always, is solid. It’s paced and structured well, knowing when and where to place scenes and how long to have them, while also engrossing the audience in the world without overwhelming them. The dialogue is good and helps lend interest to the characters and world. The comic even has a pretty great cliffhanger at the end that can really hook in the audience and make them want to see where the story will go next (I honestly did not see that coming). It’s a strongly written issue, in other words.
Sean Murphy’s artwork is a treat when it comes to this series, always looking so great and just being fantastic at being able to set a mood or tone for a scene. This issue is no exception and looks fantastic as you would expect (no moody or emotional scenes like there were in the first half, but that could always change). The artist does a great job and creating this new world with all of its unique designs for technology, landscapes (that double page spread of where Leeward resides is great), and even down to the clothing. The layouts are decent, the characters look great overall with a solid range of emotions, and the coloring is beautiful as always. While I hope the issues for this half come out at a better pace, I wouldn’t mind waiting an extra month for this level of quality.
You call that a wreck, I call it the coolest and most interesting looking place to call a home.
Is It Good?
The Wake #6 is a great issue and a solid start for the second half. The new setting is just fascinating, the potential is almost limitless in what we could see, the writing is as strong as ever, and the artwork is fantastic. It’s a great return for this mini-series and I hope you get to jump on in to see it soon, otherwise you may be missing out.
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