You won’t read another comic book this week — and quite likely this month, or even this year — like FML #1 from Dark Horse Comics. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, with art by David López. The genre-breaking work from the team that reinvented Captain Marvel is not just an engrossing, emotionally charged, timely read — it’s also a reinvention of the comic book form from the ground up.
Set in an only mildly exaggerated version of our own world where wildfires run out of control, school shooter drills are a near-daily occurrence, and the threat of plague looms large, FML focuses on four teenagers for whom this is just par for the course. After all, the world has always been like this, it always will be like this, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
Well, sort of. Their small act of rebellion is traveling to the forest in Portland and telling each other stories. They’ve got a band, too, and music very much infuses the punk rock aesthetic of López’s layouts. But this really seems in the early going to be about how we use fiction to make our own lives better, even for a little while.
I’m not mentioning any specifics here as part of the joy is discovering the characters and plot (particularly given the wild final few pages of the issue) as you’re reading. But as usual, DeConnick knows how to perfectly craft unique characters, from a teen who dresses like a witch, to a mom who used to be a in rock band and is now a, you know, mom. Not to read too much between the lines, but López draws a version of the character who is reminiscent of DeConnick herself, and the main character looks somewhat like her son. It’s not a one-to-one, and purposefully so. But it certainly seems like this is a personal story for the author, and that care comes through on the pages.
It’s also gorgeously and innovatively drawn and laid out by López, along with stunning colors by Cris Peters and letters by Clayton Cowles. Sequences jump from full-color classic comic pages to insets that are reminiscent of Manga and ‘zines. Like the best fiction, FML blends all the ingredients up into a heady stew and makes it very much its own thing.
Particularly on this Election week here in America (I’m writing this review the day before, so it’s very much on my mind), having a comic that is about rebellion for the world, and the comic book form, while paying loving tribute to both is the perfect read. It won’t remove you from whatever is happening outside the window so much as hold a mirror to it. But if more things were like FML #1, perhaps we’d like what we see.
FML #1 Rating:
FML #1 Official Synopsis:
From the Eisner award-winning creators who brought you Captain Marvel, Bitch Planet, and Wonder Woman: Historia comes this genre-busting, apocalyptic odyssey about a group of metal kids who face a medley of bizarre foes and encounters in Portland, Oregon during a worldwide pandemic.
Riley is a teen that sketches out his heavy metal future with a ballpoint pen between monster movies and band practice. But musical stardom needs to compete with high school, the temper of a former Riot Grrrl mother, the morbid obsessions of a goth sister, and the eccentricities of bandmates that threaten to drive him and everyone around him insane.
The balance gets harder after a ritual during a party in Portland’s Forest Park causes him to wake up one day to discover that the creatures, witchcraft, and metal world he’s obsessed with may be a bit closer to home than he preferred.
• A brand-new creator owned series from the team that brought you Captain Marvel!
• Features bonus material exclusive to the single issues only, such as essays on music, true crime, interviews, and more!
• Eight issue series.
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