ELSEWHERE

released OUT NOW! Publisher Image Comics

Writer Jay Faerber Artist sumeyye Kesgin

Legendary historical disappearances can be great places to start a story, especially when they’re as well-known as the vanishing of ’30s pilot Amelia Earhart. This new Image Comics series throws together fact and fantasy, casting Earhart as a pulp heroine who ends up voyaging to a strange new world.

The story kicks off as Earhart’s disappearance in 1937 takes both her and co-pilot Fred Noonan through a mysterious portal to the world of Korvath, a place of magic and mysticism. Separated from her friend, Amelia gets involved with a rebellion against the despotic Lord Kragen; she then also discovers that she’s not the only mysteriously “vanished” arrival from Earth…

Copperhead writer Jay Faerber has set up a potentially intriguing series that maintains a rapid pace throughout, while also delivering plenty of action. Unfortunately, while the mystery behind the various visitors from Earth is effective, Korvath itself is a mostly clichéd fantasy kingdom and this first four-issue arc ends up feeling shallow and weightless.

Still, while the storytelling is undoubtedly flawed, the art from Sumeyye Kesgin is consistently enjoyable, hitting a strong balance of cartoony energy and lurid atmospherics. It just isn’t quite enough to elevate a series that recycles too many pulp staples without adding genuine freshness to compensate. Saxon Bullock