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Tom King and Bilquis Evely reunite to tell the story of Helen of Wyndhorn. Helen’s father, renowned fiction writer C.K. Cole, has passed away, leaving here to the care of her grandfather. Helen travels to her fathers childhood home, the large estate of Wyndhorn, and finds a lavish mansion that my be hiding something that is beyond this world.
- Written by Tom King
- Art by Bilquis Evely
- Colors by Matheus Lopes
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
Tom King and Bilquis Evely Take Us To Wyndhorn
It’s already exciting to see Tom King and Bilquis Evely working together again. If you’re not familiar, they collaborated on the critically acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Knowing what these two are already capable of, Helen of Wyndor was announced with tons of hype behind it. So did the first issue deliver on that?
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The story opens with a man interviewing an elderly woman about C.K. Cole and his home of Wyndhorn. The women begins to tell the tale of her experience at Wyndhorn in the 1930’s. Her name is Lilith Appleton and she was a teacher hired to help Helen transition to her knew life as Helen of Wyndhorn Manor.
Helen of Wyndhorn From A Different Point Of View
What proceeds from here is the recollection of Lilith’s process of finding Helen in Texas and bringing back to Wyndhorn. This whole issue is from her Lilith’s point of view. It’s actually quite amusing to watch this “proper” lady make her way through the rough parts of Texas to find a sixteen year old girl. Not to say she can’t handle her self in the American South, because she can. She’s tough as nails and as cold as ice when it comes to dealing with the locals.
Once Lilith finds Helen, she’s surprised to find that a sixteen year old girl of such pedigree is a bit foul-mouthed and an alcoholic. She smokes, she’s a tomboy, and she a bit of a trouble maker. It’s very interesting to watch the two contrasting characters bounce off of each other. It’s like an irresistible force meets an immovable object type of situation. It’s fun to read.
Character Development in Helen of Wyndhorn
Once they get to Wyndhorn the tone of the book starts to change. It actually feels a little depressing as Helen doesn’t seem like she has any interest in changing. We’re introduced to the butler, Joseph, who is a really fun character to read. He’s a stereotypical stuffy old butler, but his with is actually funny. During his tour of the home, Helen finds the wine cellar. She stops the tour immediately and just starts drinking. From this point on she’s either drinking or sleeping anytime you see here. Here character is going through something and as a reader I can feel it. She even asks to sleep with Lilith every night, claiming to see monsters outside her window.
After we get through this transitional phase, We finally see some action. Lilith is awakened by Helen’s screams. As a reader your thinking she’s finally lost it, but as Lilith follows the screams to outside the manor, that’s not the case. The stakes get raised as we find out that Helen really was seeing something outside of her window, and it’s big and terrifying. The action here is great and we’re left with fantastic full page panel cliff hanger.
Bilquis Evely Is The Master of Wyndhorn
The story is awesome, but the art that comes along with it is breathtaking. Of course we can expect that knowing Bilquis Evely’s work, but truly this is another level. There is so much detailed line work, landscapes, interiors, and of course a fantastic creature creation. I’m honestly stunned by almost every single panel. Once we get to the Wyndhorn Manor, I can’t even imagine the work it took to sketch every panel in such an ornate, detailed place. Evely was working hard to bring the manor to life, make it a character itself, and it shows.
Colors and Text Maketh The Comic
Matheus Lopes adds color to this issue and I have to give him his due. The variety of colors used is immense. He touched on so many palettes. From the warm desert-like setting of Texas, to the luscious green of Wyndhorns exterior, to the blues and browns of the night scenes and interiors of the manor, everything inviting. I’m always happy to see colorists play with light and glow and I’m happy to report that Lopes just nails it.
Clayton Cowles lettering adds a less appreciated art to this book. Dialogue bubbles are easy to follow and as I said most of the story is being told by Lilith Appleton, whose words are in light pink bubbles, are the dominate most of the book. My one gripe is the font used made it difficult at times to read,but I understood the choice to identify her as “proper” and “old fashioned”.
Everything Points to 9/10
What an awesome start to what is going to be a fantastic story! There have been hints from interviews that Helen of Wyndhorn will feel like Conan The Barbarian meets The Wizard of Oz. Now the majority of this first issue really didn’t give off that vibe, but by the end I could see where that might be the case. I have no idea where we may be going next, but I know who Helen and Lilith are now. I also know that the rubber was hitting the road at the end of this issue, meaning things are gonna ramp up going forward. I can’t wait to find out more about Wyndhorn and Helen’s ancestry so issue two can’t get here fast enough!
