Jules Verne's Lighthouse

Jules Verne’s Lighthouse #4

Anomaly Productions/Image Comics 2021

Written by David Hine & Brian Haberlin

Illustrated by Brian Haberlin

Coloured by Geirrod Van Dyke

Lettered by Francis Takenaga

“SECRET WAR,” Part Four

All Maria Vasquez has to do is stay alive for five hours, armed only with a sword and handgun, as Kongre and his band of murderous pirates track her down, armed to the teeth and baying for blood. What she doesn’t know is that no one has ever survived The Hunt.

I am in love with this book. The idea behind it is sensational and that it’s inspired by Jules Verne is just beyond expectations for me. Maria is a damaged young woman whose constant companion is a robot and one that well I am not really sure how to describe it, but it gives me the heebie jeebies. It has that smile which is creepy in its own right but seriously that it acts like a nanny still is unnatural. That this band of pirates have invaded the lighthouse and are using it to steal a weapons cache is somewhat predictable, however, what isn’t predictable is Maria and her will to survive and the fact that she’s known to these pirates by reputation and that luck is what is going to run out on her.

I really, really like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented impeccably well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really helps to portray them as people we can relate to. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re drawn deeper and deeper in with no real predictability of what could be happening next.

I really appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and strengthen. The layers contain the characterisation, plot twists and so much more and whether they work with the main arc or swirl around it they all add so much depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is phenomenally well done.

The interiors here are mindbogglingly brilliant to see. The work is bloody brilliant in every single way you could possibly imagine. The linework is exquisite and how we see the attention to detail in every facet manages to ignite the readers’ own creativity and imagination beautifully. That we see backgrounds utilised as much as we do so that they enhance and expand the moments as well as work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is magnificent. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is equally as brilliant to see. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show such a master colourist in action.

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This is one of those instances where no matter what I say it isn’t going to do justice to the reality of how good this book is. The writing here is so incredibly intelligent with witty and creative characterization and such gorgeous interiors that make this such a true pleasure to read. This might be a fight for survival for Maria but she has to fight her inner demons as well and come to grips with what she went through during the war where these pirates blame her for what they’ve become. Such powerful and gripping storytelling is happening within these pages.