Ice Ice Baby

ANTARCTICA by Simon Birks and Willi Roberts published by Top Cow Productions

The desolate wastes of Antarctica have always fascinated me. On holiday in Buenos Aires, I saw a bus leave the bus station. The destination was Punta Arenas. I knew that was where the ships for Antarctica left. I could have got on a bus to Antarctica. Awesome.

I’m not sure if Hannah Curtis, the central character in Antarctica, felt the same way. When her father, a scientist at an Antarctic research station, fails to return home, her life spirals to a dark place of crime, homelessness and survival on the streets. A friend helps her get back on her feet and learn some vital skills. These skills help her get a job in her Dad’s frozen stomping ground and it’s next stop Antarctica.

The pacing of this book is really interesting. Simon Birks manages to fit in a lot of backstory in what is really just a few pages. We see Hannah’s whole eventful life in a few panels. It felt a little too rushed for me, however I can see that with a book called Antarctica, readers are going to want to see the frozen lands sooner rather than later. There is certainly no delay in getting to the action.

The Antarctic setting holds a lot of potential. Other books, like Whiteout by Greg Rucka and Steve Leiber used the isolated setting to good effect. I’ll be interested to see how that is used in this book.

The landscape promises interesting contrasts between the epic wide-lens plains and the claustrophobic confined spaces of the base. Throughout the book panels make good use of varying angles and perspectives to convey scale.

I loved the character design from Willi Roberts. Hannah combines beauty with a lean, feral look, much of which is achieved by her stance and body language – not always easy to convey in comics. The vehicles are also cool – combining Thunderbirds fun with sub-zero practicality.

The final panels of Antarctica deliver a twist that sets up mind expanding weirdness for forthcoming issues. It’s great to see the Blue Fox comics team get a much deserved wider audience for their comics. I hope there is more to come.

ANTARCTICA #1 Cover A by Willi Roberts and Cover B by Lyndon White will be in comic shops on July 12 and also available for purchase on digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.