Sky Doll: Volume 1 Review:

Title: Sky Doll: The Yellow City

Created by: Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa

I love comics that aren’t from mainstream publishers and Sky Doll is that kind of comic—minus the fact Marvel Comics published the English edition—from the simple fact it’s published by Soleil Productions and it’s Italian as well, which only makes this comic better with its uniqueness being apparent from the moment I saw the cover art. It’s an interesting read that brings me to think about Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi epic Dune and Ridley Scott’s opus grandeur Blade Runner—It has the whole Political and Religion being entwined to one another to it (Dune) and a real sense of beauty in the artwork portraying a crowded future (Blade Runner) only a lot brighter, nicer and alien.

The storyline follows the Sky Doll Noa—an android that dispersive pleasure—of the series. Who at first seems like a simple machine, but inevitably seems to be destined for something. I can’t put the actual plot of the comic into a good paragraph without losing some details along the way, so it seems fitting to call it a boy meets girl type of thing only a much more mature setting. The actual semi-styled love interest of the comic is Roy (along with Jahu) is on a mission for the religion of Lodovica—no more details of a clearly implied romance blossoming. I can’t use the term plotline with how little there is from the issue acting a pure introduction to the character—Captain Obvious strikes—but it does directly with everything from certain elements being established (religion, the enigmas of certain elements and the how the universe of Sky Doll is currently like).

The artwork is something I consider the defining point of Sky Doll, I really can’t get enough of the scenario in each panel—a subtle reminder of Blade Runner comes to mind on the actual design and setup of different panels—and comes across as a totally deserved breath taking for all the right reasons. Maturity of the title is quite clear once you see some of the characters designs, but I completely love the use of erotica—not the sexual part of it, but the general idea that its being used to mirror the real world.

Praise for writing being funny and clever, though lacking a meaningful sense behind it—it has the whole: take this seriously for a minute, but I feel less inclined to ponder the characters themselves and more the world they inhabit and when they reference to something. Social interaction in the writing feels a little lacking, but I suspect that’ll improve by the second issue, but I want to praise the humour used throughout—the first few pages does something I thought as being clever, more than clever, it was brilliant at what it was implying until it became clear who and what was happening. Falsified idea of God, before turning it around to tell you what’s actually happening—funny and clever.

I personally enjoyed Sky Doll for a lot of reason throughout: the artwork is beautifully done, writing works better to have light touches of humour along with revealing bit and pieces of the Sky Doll universe and finally, the character designs are defined and won’t be easily missed when they appear anywhere throughout the comic—my opinion of the comic is this though: Likely to get better by the second issue and makes the series a promising one.

Thought of the Day: October 21th:

Took a decent day to relax and unwind, though I’m still feel the annoying eyes of a woman probably in a huff of me winning out for the role of Drama Editor for some project at college. Not my fault, people feel a sense of confidence in my abilities over hers.