Air #19

Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by MK Perker

With the start of this new arc, Blythe has begun her pilot's test. Her first task is to recover the lost luggage of Jules Verne, which is apparently in Russia, not that she knew that's where she was flying to. The reaction of the Russian authorities to the unpredictability of Hyperprax travel is a nice touch; I always like it when fantasy elements are treated to the scrutiny of public regulations.

This issue puts Blythe well on her way to self-confidence and self-actualization, as shown by both the way she handles the Russians (bringing in a character I never thought we'd see again), and the way she tells Quetz the winged serpent to take a hike. When the series began, I often found Blythe to be an annoying character, and so it's nice to see that Wilson always had this plan for her, and took her time in achieving it. It helps add a layer of realism to the book.

As always, the art is great, and the story compelling. More people should be reading this.