''Isola'' is an American ongoing fantasy comic series created by writer
Brenden Fletcher and writer/artist
Karl Kerschl
Karl Kerschl is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on DC Comics books, including '' Adventures of Superman'', '' Majestic'', '' All-Flash'', '' Teen Titans: Year One'' and '' Gotham Academy''.
Early life
Kerschl was born ...
and published by
Image Comics
Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
.
The series is set in a mystical land where the queen’s brother enacts a treacherous plot to transform her into a tiger. The captain of the guard, a woman of great skill, brings swift and lethal vengeance, unaware the wicked prince alone has the power to reverse the spell. The two women—one on two legs, one on four—must undertake a perilous journey halfway across the globe to the fabled island of Isola, the gateway to the underworld, where they hope to find the spirit of the queen’s late brother, who has the power to return his sister to human form.
Publication history
''Isola'' was first announced at the 2016 Image Expo. Writer Brenden Fletcher explained he and writer/artist Karl Kerschl had been working towards the comic since elementary school. The story follows two women, Queen Olwyn, and Rook, her captain of the guard, on a journey to the island of Isola in hopes of reversing a curse that transformed the queen into a tiger. Kerschl and Fletcher cite the films of Hayao Miyazaki as an influence on the tone of ''Isola''.
Kerschl worked closely with colorist Michele Assarasakorn (MSassyK) to create a cinematic feel, mapping out colors in advance to reflect the characters’ journey.
The series was originally scheduled for launch in spring 2017 but was delayed until spring 2018. ''Motor Crush'', another Image Comics series written by Fletcher, ran a five-part prologue to ''Isola'' as a backup feature. The prologue is currently available to read on Karl Kerschl's website.
Issues
Collections
Reception
Reception to the first issue was mostly positive. Jenna Anderson of Comicbook praised the world-building and how ''Isola''’s characters are defined through their actions. Molly Barnewitz of Comicsverse particularly praised Rook’s characterization. However,
David Pepose
David Pepose is an American Script (comics), comics writer and former crime reporter who has written for Marvel Comics and Alternative comics, independent comics. His book ''Spencer & Locke'' was nominated multiple times for the Ringo Awards and h ...
of Newsarama felt the story was too decompressed and that its only selling point was Kerschl’s art. Karl Kerschl and MSassyK’s art received universal praise.
The
Eisner-winning digital comics magazine ''PanelxPanel'' selected ''Isola'' as its feature comic for April 2018. This was particularly notable since ''PanelxPanel'' normally selects comics with longer runs, specifically avoiding comics with only a single issue out. Editor Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou explained in his introduction that he had made an exception for ''Isola'' #1 since it is markedly different from most other first issues, specifically that it was "more contemplative and less expository, but deeply interesting and worthwhile."
Awards
References
{{Reflist
Image Comics titles
2018 comics debuts
American comics