Home #1 Review
Written by: Julio Anta
Art by: Anna Wieszczyk
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Lettered by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Home #1 blends our tragic reality with the security and optimism of fiction. The story follows a mother and son on their way from the city of Guatemala to the US in search of asylum. However, their journey to the US takes place at the beginning of the Trump administration and they are unaware of all that’s changed during their trip.
I’ve heard a few stories of my dad’s trek to the US and they’ve always sounded so out of this world to me. Hearing all he had gone through painted him in a different light for me, made me appreciate the life my family and I had so much more. Home eloquently captures the emotions and stories of so many who have come to the US in search of security, and there’s such a stark contrast of the more recent treatment of immigrants upon arrival and it’s even mentioned in the story as well. Anta is able to portray the terror faced by so many: the fear of the unknown in a world where you can barely communicate; the loss of a child, spouse, and home; abuse from figures of authority. I know this story can come off as a bit forced with so much evil coming from seemingly every corner, but this is where I feel the story draws the most from reality. I’m a big fan of Anta’s dialogue in this issue, the pauses Mercedes takes when trying to communicate in English is so familiar, I’ve heard it so many times before. The innocence of the children is heartbreaking as they discuss their favorite soccer teams while imprisoned, it echoes the hopeful tones Anta wants to portray with this series.
I had to go back and read Home a few more times to really appreciate the subtlety of its art. At first the characters may seem slightly cartoonish or have their features slightly more prominent, and as the story continues it becomes more apparent and I hadn’t realized at first how much that affected my view of characters. There’s a guard towards the end who engulfs that panel he’s in and his body has an almost fluid-like movement to it and it’s outright terrifying. I love the color palettes used throughout, the drastic change from the warm, sandy browns of the outside to cold, harsh white of the “icebox”. The opening scenes are a great draw inward, Mercedes’ motherly actions are amplified by the speeches given over immigrants.
Home is one heartbreaking issue, but so lovely and well worth the read. I’m curious to see how its story will unfold in these next four issues, but I’m glad it took the time to establish the relationship between Mercedes and Juan.
Art by: Anna Wieszczyk
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Lettered by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Home #1 blends our tragic reality with the security and optimism of fiction. The story follows a mother and son on their way from the city of Guatemala to the US in search of asylum. However, their journey to the US takes place at the beginning of the Trump administration and they are unaware of all that’s changed during their trip.
I’ve heard a few stories of my dad’s trek to the US and they’ve always sounded so out of this world to me. Hearing all he had gone through painted him in a different light for me, made me appreciate the life my family and I had so much more. Home eloquently captures the emotions and stories of so many who have come to the US in search of security, and there’s such a stark contrast of the more recent treatment of immigrants upon arrival and it’s even mentioned in the story as well. Anta is able to portray the terror faced by so many: the fear of the unknown in a world where you can barely communicate; the loss of a child, spouse, and home; abuse from figures of authority. I know this story can come off as a bit forced with so much evil coming from seemingly every corner, but this is where I feel the story draws the most from reality. I’m a big fan of Anta’s dialogue in this issue, the pauses Mercedes takes when trying to communicate in English is so familiar, I’ve heard it so many times before. The innocence of the children is heartbreaking as they discuss their favorite soccer teams while imprisoned, it echoes the hopeful tones Anta wants to portray with this series.
I had to go back and read Home a few more times to really appreciate the subtlety of its art. At first the characters may seem slightly cartoonish or have their features slightly more prominent, and as the story continues it becomes more apparent and I hadn’t realized at first how much that affected my view of characters. There’s a guard towards the end who engulfs that panel he’s in and his body has an almost fluid-like movement to it and it’s outright terrifying. I love the color palettes used throughout, the drastic change from the warm, sandy browns of the outside to cold, harsh white of the “icebox”. The opening scenes are a great draw inward, Mercedes’ motherly actions are amplified by the speeches given over immigrants.
Home is one heartbreaking issue, but so lovely and well worth the read. I’m curious to see how its story will unfold in these next four issues, but I’m glad it took the time to establish the relationship between Mercedes and Juan.
A Look Inside
