Kaya #1 Review: The Most Fun You Will Have in Comics This Year
Image Comics‘ Kaya #1 was released today and Wes Craig’s Kaya oozes ‘passion project’ from the moment you pick it up. I imagine this is only the beginning of an epic fantasy tale that has been being concocted with love for quite some time. You can see Wes Craig’s passion shine through! There are kick-ass Character designs, a girl with a magic arm, tribes of lizard men, and some popping color! What more could you ask for? (Aside from the next issue in your hands of course!)
Craig wastes no time setting the tone between the sibling protagonists Kaya and Jin. Hungry and tired, they Journey through the desert squabbling in true sibling fashion. Jason Wordie cleverly plays with contrasting warm and cool colors which add to the feeling of the treacherous journey through the desert.
Kaya is the strong-willed older sister forced into a journey to deliver her once prince brother to a hinted-at destiny. Jin, who is slightly self-entitled, must adapt to no longer being a prince after the destruction of their village. During their trek, Jin collapses and the pair find themselves ambushed by Lizard People. Just as the battle heats, the pair find themselves saved by another lizard from Kaya’s past who calls off his crooked cronies. Kaya finds herself brooding trying to figure out their next move.
It didn’t take long to be invested and loaded up with questions and anxiety to see where this creative journey may lead. In true first issue, fashion hooks were set, and I am reeled in. This series will absolutely see a spot on my bookshelf as it is released. The story unfolds in such a way as to hint at mysteries I can’t wait to delve into deeper. This lays an excellent foundation for a series I hope to see go on for a good long time!
Stylistically, this comic is fun as hell. The main characters remind me a bit of Calvin and Hobbs mixed with Adventure Time with a classic fantasy-sci-fi feel. I love the emotion in the character’s faces. In a comic world saturated with inflated muscle men heroes and overly sexualized females, I often find myself drawn to creators that take a different path.
The older sister protecting her prince brother is also a nice change of pace from a stereotypical princess and her protector. I can’t wait to see the rest of Craig’s world-building come to a realization. Who is the Green Monk? What Exactly Happened to Kahaka Village, and what does a magron look like? I sincerely cannot wait to find out and eagerly await to follow this fantasy tale wherever it may wind.
Source: Image Comics
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