There aren’t enough period piece dramas published in the comic book medium these days.
Oh, sure. Amongst all the superhero fare out there, currently available on comic and bookstore shelves, we’re better off with alternative offerings today than we have been in, arguably, decades. But, as great and as fascinating as those offerings may be, they seem to be dominated by world-building science fiction or high-fantasy yarns.
There’s so much human history and human endeavour to discover…in our real-world past.
Last Sunday, regular Biff Bam Pop! contributor, Uncle Highlander, took an excited look at one such recent example via his weekly Read this Book column. You can catch his most recent and prescient piece right here. A few days late, but sympatico with his comic book game, I, too, am amazed with the sheer storytelling delight that is Barnstormers #1.
Originally published as an online comic book by Comixology a few years ago, Barnstormers now gets the physical edition release by Dark Horse Comics. It’s a three-part monthly tale with each issue being oversized in length. There’s a compilation on the horizon, of course, but the serialized installment method gives a knowing nod to stories and films of a by-gone age and makes for juicy, anticipatory reading.
Written by the award-winning Scott Snyder (Batman, Swamp Thing, American Vampire, Wytches, We Have Demons) and wonderfully illustrated by fan favourite artist, Tula Lotay (Bodies, All-Star Batman, Supreme: Blue Rose and a plethora of absolutely gorgeous comic book cover work),Barnstormers is a distinctly American tale from the first half of the twentieth century, specifically just after World War I.
Eighteen-year-old ace pilot John Baron is back from the frontlines of the war to end all wars, making a living by using his immense aerial skills as a “barnstormer” – pilots who compete against each other’s expertise in the skies. They try to earn a few dollars on their ability to entertain the inhabitants of small, rural American towns. Down on the ground, John meets Helen, who shares his passion for adventure – and the skies. Together, they partner as an act, performing death-defying stunts to the amazement of terra firma-stuck crowds, far below.
But for this Bonnie and Clyde team, the stunt they best avoid might be their own deaths – whether by sky or by the hand of man!
Barnstormers is an expansive, panoramic look at early aviation, America and the love and wanderlust that grips the young and adventurous. Echoing the scripted story are Lotay’s beautiful, widescreen renderings of rural America, it’s inhabitants and its pastoral wonder. Her colour palette hides the dangerous undercurrent of stunt flying and early twentieth century sensibilities – aspects that make this comic book a must read for any lover of good fiction.
Make the run to your local comic book story and pick up the high-flying delight that is Barnstormers #1 today!
You can catch a sneak preview of Barnstormers #1 right here.
To get an ever deeper look into the series, you can view the original and exciting Comixology trailer for the period piece comic book story directly below.
