Review – Moth & Whisper #1 (AfterShock Comics)

Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Writer: Ted Anderson
Artist: Jen Hickman
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Release Date: 12^th September 2018

The Moth & The Whisper are without doubt the greatest thieves in the city, quite possibly the world. Unbeknownst to the world however, The Moth & The Whisper disappeared six months ago and both their roles are being played by one person. That person is Nikki, The Moth and The Whisper’s genderqueer child. A supremely skilled thief in their own right, Nikki must fulfil their parents’ roles whilst trying to find out what happened to their parents and facing their own uncertainties.

Ted Anderson (My Little Pony, Adventure Time) has made quite a change in tone from the material he’s usually associated with, taking on a bold cyberpunk noir thriller that reminded me a lot of the first time I picked up Matt Wagner’s Grendel. Jenn Hickman’s (Jemm & The Holograms, The Dead) artwork provides an interesting and well-rounded world, utilising a wonderfully abstract approach when dealing directly with the original Moth & Whisper.

Taking the story on its own merits, this is a really good first issue. I’m always a sucker for a bit of cyberpunk noir, and there was something about the artwork that really drew me in and had me thinking about early Grant Morrison stories. Just from the first few pages we’ve seen so far there are plenty of strings to pull on to produce a story that will have twists and turns galore as it develops.

Nikki has the makings of a really interesting character and I’m looking forward to seeing how they cope with the stresses of trying to live up to their parents reputation while portraying both of them at the same time, not to mention performing a missing persons search without letting the bad guys know anything is up.

AfterShock are making a big effort at the moment to produce inclusive and diverse characters so it’s great to see that Anderson is making the protagonist of this story genderqueer. However, I’ve yet to see exactly how this fits in with either the story or the development of the character themselves, although I’m hoping that there will be more expansion as the series continues to help make their gender identity feel a little more relevant to the story.

Rating: 3/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]