DRYAD #4 (available August 12th from Oni Press) continues the tale of one family and how complex their life has suddenly become. In a world that merges fantasy and science fiction, that is truly a talent worth bragging about.
***SPOILER WARNING***
Every family has its secrets. For some, it’s merely an embarrassing moment. For others? It’s a secret that can (and will) change the lives of the entire family. The latter is the case for the Glass family.
In a world full of technology and magic, Morgan and Yale ran from their lives to start a new one. The reason why has yet to be made clear — other than the fact that they wanted more for their twin children, that is.
Now the secret they have kept all these years has been blown out into the open, with no time for explanations to be given. The twins have been thrown from their quiet world and into the deep end, and they are going to need an anchor, and soon.
Dryad #4 continues from this point, with the family reaching a city bursting with technology, color, and life. It’s also full to the brim of danger, if the implications behind the flight of the Glass family is any indication.
The Writing
Dryad #4 is an action-packed issue, one that continues to keep the family far too busy to have a vital conversation. It’s effectively keeping the children – and the readers – stuck in a loop of awe and suspense.
Kurtis Wiebe is the creator and lead writer for this series. He’s created this wonderful world, where pockets of serenity exist alongside cities too full of lights and motion. It’s an impressive feat, made all the more surprising by the infusion of fantasy and science fiction elements.
Then there’s the family drama, of course. It’s always been a strong undertone of the series, yet felt significantly stronger in this issue. While no answers have been provided yet, there’s this feeling of rising urgency while reading this issue. Like the twins are becoming increasingly desperate to understand why their world has been so thoroughly shaken apart.
Meanwhile, the parents are also seeking their own understanding. Though in their case, they’re trying to understand the who and why of it all. Who brought them back into this life, and why? It’s a mess they can’t hope to survive without those answers.
The Art
The artwork within Dryad #4 is vibrant, bold, and suiting a world full of technology. From the first glimpse of this city, it’s clear that this is a work polar opposite to what we’ve seen in the rest of the series thus far.
Justin Osterling was the lead artist, creating the characters and world they live in. The flight sequence was especially well done, as were all of the reactions that followed. The sense of movement helped to enhance that scene, as well as many others.
The colors were provided by Francesco Segala, who use bold backdrops and pops of color to tell a story. It was effective and compelling. It was always clear what was the most important element in any one scene, and it added to the impact.
Meanwhile, Jim Campbell was the letterer for this issue, and he did a great job. Both with the dialogue and with the sound effects (which there was no shortage of). The combination resulted in an issue that flowed seamlessly from panel to panel.
In Conclusion
Dryad #4 was another visually compelling addition to this story, one where a family risks being torn apart by secrets. Yet it all feels like something worse is looming on the horizon – perhaps the person who orchestrated this whole thing?
