Etheres Review: The Most Important Story Told This Year

Etheres Review: The Most Important Story Told This Year

Published by Source Point Press
Written by Anas Abdulhak
Art by Dennis Menheeres
Letters by DC Hopkins
Edited by Michele Abounader

Synopsis: Where do souls go when they don’t belong anywhere else? Journey into Etheres searching for the answer in this introspective character study about pain and self-loathing. For fans of tales of the afterlife such as “The Lovely Bones” and “A.D. After Death.”

Following Valerie’s passing, she finds herself navigating an unknown and perilous world. She tells her story through poetry and narration as she experiences her surroundings while also recalling her past life, her trauma, and why she believes she deserves to be there.

Writer Anas Abdulhak brings you this harrowing tale of the afterlife with groundbreaking art by Dennis Menheere, edits by “Color of Always” creator Michele Abounader and letters by Ringo-Nominated DC Hopkins.

Oftentimes we find ourselves connecting to comics either by an intriguing story, eye-catching art, or even a character. Not very often do you come across a comic that already holds so much story and emotion behind it that’s tied to real-life experience that captivates you with not only the intrigue of their journey but the connection to their experience. Etheres is the perfect title for this comic as this one fell from the outer regions of space onto our radar and we have become all the better for it.

Stemming from the experience of Abdulhak during the war in Syria and the impact these events had on their life and views on life. Transformed into a fantasy tale of the afterlife, Abdulhak brought on an artist that understood the assignment as every page, every splash of color, all further immersed me into this journey in the afterlife as Menheere seemed to have pulled every thought, every emotion, and the entire experience straight from Abdulhak’s mind and transferred it directly to the page.

The pair create an unpaved path as the story’s concept is very tedious in its storytelling and the art lightly guides the reader almost as if it adds perspective to the narrative as we take a step forward into the journey. This is further driven into a surreal and balanced story with Hopkins’ clean lettering work that serves as a compass as we traverse Valerie’s path. This all encompasses one person’s experience into a stunning and appealing story that gives the impression of a dream layered in splashes of memories of a near-death experience.

This is much more than your everyday comic. This is one person’s harrowing experience transformed into poetry and a narrative that tells an important story. Abdulhak’s dark tone and clever narrative show a way but not giving a clear path through the prose of the storytelling, Menheere hits you with a delicate yet powerful splash of art and color that will absolutely sweep over readers as they read one of the most important stories told this year. These creators might be new to the diamond-distributed game, but I can assure you we will see the names Abdulhak and Menheeres many more times in the future.

Etheres #1 is available at your favorite local comic shop or digitally now.