Bermuda #1

Bermuda #1

IDW Publishing 2021

Written & Lettered by John Layman

Illustrated by Nick Bradshaw

Coloured by Len O’Grady

There’s a region in the Atlantic Ocean where planes disappear, ships are lost, and travelling souls go missing... never to be heard from again. And there’s an island within this place, mysterious and uncharted, an island untouched by time and civilisation, where all who are lost end up. Bermuda lives here. She’s 16, scrappy, and a survivor, and this has been the only life she has ever known… until today. She's discovered something on her Island that will either open a doorway between her world and ours… or destroy it!

What a great little book this is. I’d go ahead and say that this is a Teen + book and it’s totally one of those that fits that bill and then some beautifully. There are moments that adults will pick up on that most kids won’t and that’s half the fun of a story like this one anyway. The opening here is great and I like it because its not the origin of Bermuda, the girl not the triangle, or how she ended up on the Island but because it brings us into this stage of her life as another plane crashes down on the Island. So it’s pretty much already in progress and I think this is the way that it should be started.

I really like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter is magnificent. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, this world and introducing the characters there’s this blend of morbid curiosity and utter delightful surprises that make this so much fun.

I really appreciate the way that this is being structured and how the layers within the story are emerging and growing. The avenues we see opening up before us containing the characterisation, plot twists and revelations, whether they work with the main arc or simply swirl around it all add some great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceptionally well.

I am absolutely loving the interiors here. The linework we see is clean, crisp and strong and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail work is mindbogglingly brilliant stuff. The creativity and imagination that we see in some of the characters, creatures and wildlife on the Island is utterly magnificent. That we see backgrounds being utilised throughout the book not only enhances the moments but fleshes out the scenery and works within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a spectacular eye for storytelling. The colour work is bloody brilliant! The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows such a brilliant understanding of colour, how it works and how to maximise its affects.

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This story manages to engage the reader and gets you invested in the characters and makes you want to see and learn more. I am super impressed with the way that this story is being told. The transitions between moments are fantastic and how we are introduced to the characters and their predicament really goes the extra mile in setting up the book. The writing is exceptional and the characterisation is marvellous and having it wrapped up in these delightful interiors make this a surprise gem of the month!