Skyward was 2018’s surprise hit from writer Joe Henderson (showrunner of Fox’s Lucifer) and Lee Garbett (Loki: Agent of Asgard) that took readers on an adventure through a low-g world. Willa returns in “Here There Be Dragonflies” for her second story. Hit the jump to check out my full review of the Skyward’s second volume.
Disclaimer: I received advance copies of the individual issues collected in Skyward Vol.2 courtesy of Image Comics. Opinions are my own.
One day, gravity all but vanished from the world. A generation later, Willa has grown up knowing nothing but her low-G life. In the first arc of Skyward, Willa fought against socio-economic capitalism as she searched for a way to bring back gravity while the 1% lives happily and exploits the new world for profit.
In the second arc, Willa fights giant bugs.
On a random page during the first arc, Willa’s dad asked if insects had grown due to the lack of gravity. This one-off joke is nothing to laugh about: the second story arc in one of the best sci-fi stories of 2018 is Willia vs. Giant Bugs!
The forest seems like the most logical place for humans to live in low-G. And it was. That is until the bugs adapted to the low gravity faster than humans, due in part to their short lifespan. The result: giant bugs swarming the forests.
As weird and dumb as this shift in the plot sounds, it works! I loved the world building of the first arc, seeing how different corners of the city have changed in the low-G world. So seeing how the wild forests have changed is a lot of fun. Willa always wanted to get out of the city and see the world, but now she’s going to wish she never left.
Giant bugs aren’t the only enemy Willa has to face in the forest. Not only are her new friends not who she thought they were, some inner demons are coming out as well. Faced with the man who killed her father and the news that she has inspired rebellion across Chicago, Willa’s just all around having a pretty a crappy few days.
In the midst of bug fighting, we also get a brief glimpse at Willa’s childhood. As someone born shortly before gravity vanished, Willa was raised entirely in low-g. So seeing how a child grows up in that is neat and I wish it lasted longer.
Anyone who had misgivings about this new weird new arc can relax: Skyward in the bug ridden woods is just as good as it was in the city. A fresh new setting keeps the series from getting stale and allowing more creativity for the team to spread their dragonfly wings.
The premise of this storyline just makes me giggle. Giant bugs. It’s so weird. It’s so fun. We get to see Willa practice using dragonfly wings and honestly if those become part of her main outfit for the rest of the series I’d be okay with it.
Skyward is great and still manages to be smart while also being about giant bugs. It’s one of those worlds where you just want to see more stories from different points of view. I could spend a hundred issues in low-g.
