Writer: Jordan Clark / Artist: Atagun İlhan / AHOY Comics
When I first read the description of Clark and İlhan’s ANCESTRAL RECALL, I was admittedly a little perplexed when I saw that the historical science fiction comedy series was being headlined by an eccentric abstract painter. Something about that particular protagonist archetype seemed much more in line with a more fantasy driven setting, but the disconnect made it that much more enticing to read.
And immediately from the first page, I am struck by how letterer Rob Steen’s translates Clark’s quirky writing as an inscrutable squiggle being translated with an asterisk, while İlhan’s opening illustration immediately depicts Melvin Warring as an iconic creative type in a studio with paint brushes on the floor and a variety of trinkets. And as the page turns, we see Melvin facing the even more familiar blank canvas before his wife June comes in. Clark’s dialog captures a particular type of sweetness and history between the two, which sets up the rest of the issue beautifully.
The sci-fi elements come into play as omniscient narration clues us into the oddities that are about to befall on the residents of Oakland. Clark and İlhan work wonderfully in tandem to make the world feel familiar while also skewing the scales just enough to reinforce the fantastic. I am a big fan of Myran’s introduction alongside her animatronic pet Panda and how she continues to hint at the greater conspiracy. It’s a brisk pace that never feels too overwhelming and as the creative team flows into the back half, everything flourishes.
There are change ups in the fidelity of detail, the color schemes, and the genre influences that just work wonderfully. There is a playfulness that show great care for paying tribute to different eras of Black history in service of a greater narrative of Melvin learning to leverage his titular power to unravel the mystery.
Ancestral Recall is a fun, inventive story that cleverly combines a lot of disparate elements into a smooth piece of work. The Milestone Initiative members live up to their credentials and entice the reader with a brilliant first issue that is going to be added to my pull.
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