Comic Info
Comic Name: Air
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: M.K. Perker
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2008
Air #4
Reprints Air #1-5 (October 2008-February 2009). Blythe Cameron is a flight attendant with a problem…she hates heights. When she encounters a man who seems to be hiding his identity, Blythe finds her Clearfleet job might be more than she ever expected. Blythe is off on an adventure and crossing the world to discover places that no longer exists. With an anti-terrorist terrorist group called Etesian Front seeking a mysterious object, Blythe and her new friend Zayn could unwrap the secret of Blythe’s fears.
Written by G. Willow Wilson, Air Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries is a DC Comics fantasy series released under the Vertigo imprint. The series features art by M.K. Perker.
I picked up flight on a whim when I found three out of the four collections at a sale. I didn’t realize at the time it was written by G. Willow Wilson who I enjoyed on Ms. Marvel and looked forward to checking it out. Reading the first volume of Air, I think there is some good things in the comic, but it also feels like it tries too hard at points.
The plot comes off as whimsical, but it is in a way that feels like the classic “it’s magic…don’t ask any questions” answer to the whimsy. The story starts out somewhat normal and continues to get crazier as the collection progresses. This doesn’t bother me if the world being established in the early issues is a world where people could come to accept flying a plane to a country that doesn’t exist, but the comic does a lot to establish a “real world” feel in the early issues.
Air #5
The idea of Clearfleet itself is odd in this real world mentality. In 2008, there were lots of financial problems going on (Blythe even indicates this a bit), but Clearfleet and Blythe seem to have unlimited travel ability despite Clearfleet being a smaller company where everyone seems to know everyone. It doesn’t mesh with the “real world” presentation…I wish that the whole series was simply fantasy based.
I do like M.K. Perker’s art for the series. He gives the characters some real world feel, but it is primarily the fun covers. Perker is credited with a “co-creator” title and his imagery is more of the whimsy I want the series to have. I particularly like the mock-up of Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 Christina’s World for Air #5 (it was always a favorite painting).
Air has potential. I think it starts out a bit rocky and I hope now that the “real world” has been thrown out, I can enjoy the fantasy of the series in future volumes. There are some mysteries building, and I could see some twists being set-up for later issues. The series is intriguing enough that I will return to Air. Air 1: Letters from Lost Countries is followed by Air 2: Flying Machine.
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