By Dustin Cabeal
The first series of Ether was a fantastic read that ended on such a low note. On the one hand, there was this fantastic magical journey that approached the genre differently. A man of science is trying to unlock magic in a logical way. Then the ending hit. Boone, our main character, was homeless, starving and left his family long ago to pursue this adventure. Worse, to get there, he has to hang himself and inflict the real possibility of death, not to mention, what if one time it doesn’t work?
When another chapter of the story was announced and given a crazy cool title like “Copper Golems” I was excited to read more of the series. Then on the first page, all the trauma, all the sadness of the first volume hit me like a ton of bricks, and I froze. There was a legitimate moment in which I asked myself, “Do I want to be emotionally fucked up right now?” I probably wasn’t ready for it because this first issue is so much sadder than the last issue of Ether. With that said, I will do my best not to spoil it for you.
Boone gets arrested and upon his release, his picked up by an agency that’s willing to fund his research. Now, I couldn’t quite remember if this was the agency that funded him previously and cut him loose or if this is just another agency that’s familiar with what he’s doing. They do have an extensive history of working with people that travel to the Ether* (*the place not the title). They’re also close to making a food source for travelers to the Ether*.
Boone takes care of some earthly business before jumping back into the Ether. His shift in personality is curious. He’s a different man there. He’s the character that you fall in love with initially in the first series, but this shift in personality raised so many questions for me as a reader. Was it all an act? Is he hiding his pain because nothing in this world can understand what it means for him to be there? After all, they view him as a pest most of the time.
He meets up with Glum instantly, and they get to work on the Copper Golems case. The mayor is backing Boone’s efforts to stop the problem, but he needs a spellcaster. Unfortunately, due to Boone, the best spellcaster he knows has been cursed. Now, if she uses her magic, she will die… which seems like some fucked up foreshadowing. They need a fourth person, and it means a prison break from a seriously fucked up prison.
David Rubin’s artwork is on another level with this series. Since discovering his work I gush over it every time I see it, but what’s so incredible about it in this volume, is the two different and distinct styles he illustrates with. It looks like another artist is on the book for a moment, that’s how different it is from his usual style. The Ether* looks more in line with what the last series was and how Rubin’s artwork usually looks, but the earth side is this grim, detailed and dark world. Boone looks like a broken man. The world looks dark and scary which is strange to say considering the magically Ether world is bright and also very scary. The artwork on this title is some of the best in comics today. Rubin’s style, coloring and storytelling abilities are unrivaled.
Kindt’s storytelling is no slouch either. He is one of the best creators in comics. His stories are layered, complex and filled with a range of emotions that echo real life. I wasn’t trying to be clever at the beginning of this review in which I asked myself if I wanted to get fucked up emotionally, it was a real conversation I had because that was the outcome. Something I anticipated the best I could and still fell victim to in the end. Kindt is a rare storyteller that can’t be copied and always manages to produce entertain comics that hit you on multiple emotional levels.
Now, if you read the first volume, you obviously will have a better understanding of this world going into Copper Golems. That doesn’t mean that you need to have read the first volume to understand and enjoy this series. Kindt and Rubin go old school and make sure to re-explain the world to welcome new readers. It reminded me of what Magnolia has always done with Hellboy, in that you can pick up and read the series with any first issue or series and understand the world and characters. There’s just a bigger reward for those that read everything. Ether is back in an emotionally devastating way, but I was happy to get wrecked by it.
Score: 5/5
Ether: The Copper Golems #1
Dark Horse Comics