Home Sick Pilots #2 Review
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Colours: Caspar Wijngaard
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
The excellent debut issue of Home Sick Pilots introduced us to a fantastical world where teenage punk rockers met a haunted house, with a definite Power Rangers vibe going on. If anything, it’s even crazier than it sounds, but works incredibly well. There is always a danger after such an incredible debut issue that the next one won’t live up to the same high standards, but don’t fear, this issue does not disappoint. With this second issue the reader gets a good idea of what the ongoing story is going to be like.
The first issue introduced us to the concept of the house looking for missing items, or ghosts, and wanting them returned. This second issue see’s Ami on the trail of the first item, a lucky horseshoe. The story unfolds in a way which will keep readers guessing, and ends up being quite a tragic tale. It’s fair to say that Dan Watters has plotted an outstanding story here which constantly subverts expectations. It’s a ghost story unlike any other. There is a magic here which is reminiscent of comic greats like Sandman or Locke & Key, an exciting concept which belongs firmly in the comics medium. It’s also a showcase for why comics are such a great storytelling format.
So as well as Ami going after her first ghost the reader also gets a chance to learn how the titular Home Sick Pilots band was formed, and in the process learn a little more about our main characters. It’s clear that we’re only just scraping the surface here, and it’s be interesting to find out more about our heroes as the series progresses.
Caspar Wijngaard has done an amazing job here, not least of all with some of the incredible creature designs in this issue. The creature he’s designed for the end is fantastic, giving off some incredible Guillermo Del Toro vibes, whilst also being an excellent example of what is special about the comic genre, a design which wouldn’t work in any other storytelling medium. There is a creepiness and otherworldliness about his creation which is so effective.
The horseshoe is incorporated into the creature designs in an really ingenious way which not only looks amazing on the page but is also unique and different, two terms which really sum this comic up in general. Wijngaard also does an incredible job with the colours here as well, really empathising the difference between the darks and the light to excellent effect.
The debut issue made an excellent first impression, now that we’re beginning to settle into the larger series it’s obvious that all the favourable reviews were earned, and this is a series to jump on board now. A mesh of so many different genres it would be a disservice to try to boil it down to just one. This comic is an excellent demonstration of creators who understand the strengths of the medium and have crafted something which will appeal to any and all comic book fans. Pick this series up now, while it's just starting. You won't be disappointed.
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Colours: Caspar Wijngaard
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
The excellent debut issue of Home Sick Pilots introduced us to a fantastical world where teenage punk rockers met a haunted house, with a definite Power Rangers vibe going on. If anything, it’s even crazier than it sounds, but works incredibly well. There is always a danger after such an incredible debut issue that the next one won’t live up to the same high standards, but don’t fear, this issue does not disappoint. With this second issue the reader gets a good idea of what the ongoing story is going to be like.
The first issue introduced us to the concept of the house looking for missing items, or ghosts, and wanting them returned. This second issue see’s Ami on the trail of the first item, a lucky horseshoe. The story unfolds in a way which will keep readers guessing, and ends up being quite a tragic tale. It’s fair to say that Dan Watters has plotted an outstanding story here which constantly subverts expectations. It’s a ghost story unlike any other. There is a magic here which is reminiscent of comic greats like Sandman or Locke & Key, an exciting concept which belongs firmly in the comics medium. It’s also a showcase for why comics are such a great storytelling format.
So as well as Ami going after her first ghost the reader also gets a chance to learn how the titular Home Sick Pilots band was formed, and in the process learn a little more about our main characters. It’s clear that we’re only just scraping the surface here, and it’s be interesting to find out more about our heroes as the series progresses.
Caspar Wijngaard has done an amazing job here, not least of all with some of the incredible creature designs in this issue. The creature he’s designed for the end is fantastic, giving off some incredible Guillermo Del Toro vibes, whilst also being an excellent example of what is special about the comic genre, a design which wouldn’t work in any other storytelling medium. There is a creepiness and otherworldliness about his creation which is so effective.
The horseshoe is incorporated into the creature designs in an really ingenious way which not only looks amazing on the page but is also unique and different, two terms which really sum this comic up in general. Wijngaard also does an incredible job with the colours here as well, really empathising the difference between the darks and the light to excellent effect.
The debut issue made an excellent first impression, now that we’re beginning to settle into the larger series it’s obvious that all the favourable reviews were earned, and this is a series to jump on board now. A mesh of so many different genres it would be a disservice to try to boil it down to just one. This comic is an excellent demonstration of creators who understand the strengths of the medium and have crafted something which will appeal to any and all comic book fans. Pick this series up now, while it's just starting. You won't be disappointed.
A Look Inside
