Issue #4 of Ancestral Recall basically had me singing. With time and attention and love to spare, creators Jordan Clark and Atagun Ilhan had turned Melvin Waring’s search for his wife (June) into this time-spanning road trip all about romance, identity, culture, and community, among other topics both feel-good and not-so-sweet.
But any good adventure is only as potent as its end, and we’d have to eventually get to the part where Melvin reaches June and would have to face the final obstacle (i.e., Mitchell, head of MLC and purveyor of the coming tech/AI apocalypse). So, could the team seal the deal, and nail the ending that would tie it all together and perhaps still leave more questions or story in the air? Or, was Ancestral Recall only ever going to be a damn good story without the context and power to truly cement its place?
If I could sing just a little more, heck frigging yes it did the damn thing!
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
Still, this finale wasn’t exactly unrelenting in its capacity as a thrill ride. The nature of all conclusions means some housekeeping, and that involves exposition and maybe a touch of deus ex machina-ing in order to adorn this story with a nice, shiny ribbon. Don’t get me wrong: Ancestral Recall deserves such a moment to gather its flowers and take a little victory lap. There’s been so much action, insight, and endless humanity that even if the ending does feel a little overt and/or deliberate, that’s quite alright. The team’s done enough visually, narratively, etc. to have long since set everything up and let Melvin score the winning point in properly dramatic fashion.
The issue (and I use that loosely enough) is that it is a little exposition heavy, and rather than relying more on his ancestors for powers, Melvin and June basically talk their way into victory. On the one hand, maybe that’s the point: They’ve both been through so much, and learned enough along the way, that they understand the lessons of Melvin’s journey and thus they have the insight and power to put down MLC all on their own.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
On the other hand, I loved the ancestral “device” across Ancestral Recall; it’s been a way to bring us face-to-face with important black inventors/engineers/artists/etc., and in that way it’s felt like the story is so much bigger than Melvin in so many different ways. There is some face time with at least one black ancestor, but it feels very limited and has a small tendency to disconnect this issue from the grander story.
But, as I touched on oh-so briefly, that’s not really a major concern as, thematically speaking, Ancestral Recall #5 kills it with the messaging. Again, this book has been about the story of black people in America, and the many ways in which our culture is dependent upon that people and their story. That, and it’s easy to forget these roots, and Melvin had to revisit them in a very real way to understand the role he plays. He’s now fully cognizant of the story that he’s apart of, and how he and June have continued to add to this tale with their own love affair and a relationship based on similar ideas of integrity, community, and collaboration.
In a major way, Melvin’s realization is a kind of acceptance. The curmudgeonly-but-endearing artist now fully sees why he needs the world, and while true connection remains scary and overwhelming in a big way, he’s ultimately better for these bonds. He’s grown as all great heroes should, and his development feels life-affirming in all the best ways.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
But it’s not just about Melvin figuring things out to be a better person and husband. Clark and Atagun also worked to tie this black-centric storyline into ideas of AI and the encroachment of species-altering technology. The AI thread always felt just a smidgen tenuous across Ancestral Recall; it was mostly a story device to get them into the future and to fight robots. Sure, we’ve all have felt the threat of this tech that we can’t fully understand (or don’t seem to need), and we recognize the peril that comes with these advancements. But for Melvin, that understanding isn’t anything new, and by recognizing that he’s just another chapter in a story of struggle and perseverance that spans the very ages, he can look at this “new” threat in an earnest but optimistic light.
And so after issue #5, this “tech thread” feels undeniably connected to the black experience, and through this new perspective, we can see how understanding, solidarity, and communal action are going to spell all the difference. For someone like Melvin, those approaches have always saved the day, and all that’s changed is the “enemy.” It’s a feel-good, lethally effective way of bringing all these huge, dangling story threads together in a way that feels universally hopeful but also causes us to re-evaluate black people and their lives in a new way. That we will struggle, alone and scared, until we can find the courage to come together and make life better in the name of justice and human decency.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
But wait, there’s more personal growth to be found in this issue. After a slightly disappointing absence across much of Ancestral Recall #4, Myran leaps back into action. As the Warings are dealing with Mitchell (who, visually speaking, was always an intriguing threat given his use/appropriation of tech and how that informs his outlook), our young heroine got to kick some robo-butt. I won’t spoil too much of how she does it, but it’s fun and exciting and a genuine bright spot of this issue. It’s maybe not the same as Melvin’s “ancestor powers,” but it does feel like someone (a young person) embracing their lineage (of having grown up in a world to best understand and counter this technological overstep) and then becoming self-actualized.
And, again, even just visually speaking, it’s a rush of fun, playful sci-fi that maintains this issue’s momentum and joyous energies at a time when it’s the most intellectually demanding and/or emotionally challenging. Mostly, though, it’s a recognition of this issue’s central notion that we are all chapters in a grander story (again, even as the emphasis is clearly on black people), and the kids of the world have to start writing their own stories before it’s too late. Myran certainly has started her own life story, and it’s unfolding in a way that feels charming and important in her relationship to Melvin.
Courtesy of AHOY Comics.
And speaking of new stories, there’s even some groundwork laid for Ancestral Recall Pt. II. (Or maybe “Ancestral Redial?” We can workshop it, of course.) But as excited as I am to potentially continue a new and different adventure with my “friends,” even I don’t think it’s entirely necessary. It’s like desert after a four-course meal at some three-star restaurant: Heck yes I’m going to eat it, but I’d still be satisfied without it.
Because Ancestral Recall used its five issues to whip up a big, involved story about the past, present, and future of people, communities, technology, and social development. It was weird and fun, poignant and thoughtful, and always, always engaging and compelling. I’m sure a second series would be just as great, but I’ll always remember this one for its intellectual weight, peace and positivity, and overarching message that, maybe just maybe, we can find joy and light in ourselves and one another.
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