A Review: ROYAL CITY #1

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of ROYAL CITY #1 from Image Comics. Jeff Lemire writes, draws and colors, and Steve Wands letters.

The Pike family is a fixture in Royal City; they run the main business in the town, and the siblings are all scattered around town, mostly to get away from each other. Dad’s stroke isn’t really even enough to bring them all together, so near and yet so far apart. The only thing that seems to keep them together is Tommy, and this is his story.

The art in this book works quite well, giving it an oddly homey feel, but the striking thing about the book is the writing. Tommy’s narration is the very model of a lost soul trying to find his way in a world he doesn’t quite grasp, describing his life in a stark and moving style. He feels a strong link to the town, and somehow the family fits in, but he hasn’t figured it out yet.

It’s not easy describing this book without giving any spoilers, and I don’t want to spoil this beautiful story. Get on board with this book now and you won’t regret it.

ROYAL CITY #1 is available now from your local comic shop, or online at imagecomics.com.

~Mike ( @MikeyGeek )