Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Iolanda Zanfardino
Artist: Elisa Romboli
Colorist: Elisa Romboli, Iolanda Zanfardino
Letterer: Iolanda Zanfardino
Release Date: 20th November 2024

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Ahead of its release later this month, we’re thrilled to be able to take an early look at the first issue of You Never Heard of Me, the latest collaboration from Iolanda Zanfardino and Elisa Romboli, the team behind Alice in Leatherland, A Thing Called Truth, and The Least We Can Do, to name but a few.

This first issue introduces us to Will, a young man whose grandmother possesses a powerful gift – namely, the ability to touch a person and immediately see both the best and worst moments of their life, whether those moments have already happened or are still to come. As you might imagine, this gift comes as both a blessing and a curse, with the family constantly having to move to stay ahead of angry skeptics and people who are unhappy with their readings.

Sadly, she is also gravely ill, and Will’s father is poised to receive the gifts that are handed down magically to the next in line every time the current holder passes away. He already has plans on how he’s going to utilise these abilities, deciding that he will try to enable people to maximise their “best” moments rather than avoiding their “worst”.  Unfortunately (and here’s the rub), the abilities end up skipping a generation, falling squarely into Will’s lap – a realisation that he wants absolutely no part of.

Zanfardino‘s knack for likeable and relatable leads continues here, and young dreamer Will makes for a great central protagonist. It’s going to be fascinating to see how his character develops throughout the course of this series, and which way he decides to lean in the event that he does decide to start using these remarkable gifts for good.

As you’d expect, Romboli’s artwork is once again an absolute delight, bringing some detailed and wonderfully expressive characters to the page. She also does a truly striking job of visualising Will’s new powers and the way they manifest themselves, and the colour work during these sequences really pops. Oh, and the double-page splash that brings us up to speed about the history of Will’s family and his grandmother‘s gift deserves special mention for its economy and creativity.

I love both the idea and the execution here. The moral dilemma of Will’s gifts makes for an intriguing premise, and his reluctance due to his complex family situation and, well, being a teenager only enhances things. When you’re talking about creative teams whose names will immediately draw me to a book, Romboli and Zanfardino are right at the top of the list, and this looks set to be another cracking new series in the making. A fascinating blend of moral dilemma, coming-of-age drama and magical fantasy. Well worth a look.

Rating: 4/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
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