White Sky #5 – Hush Now and Find Peace

The world is a mess. Ghosts inhabit the world. Five years ago, the sky went white and stayed that way. Now, Violet, on a quest to reconnect with her dad, finds herself alone with a strange man named Walter as they wander through the world. As Walter fights to stay alive after being shot, his attacker begins to help Violet understand what is really going on in the world around them. In a world where ghosts are everywhere, and salt is the world’s most valuable commodity, what can a 16-year-old girl do to stay alive? White Sky #5 pulls back the curtain and begins to give answers.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Catch up with previous review for White Sky #1, #2, #3, and #4

Creative Team

Writer: William Harms
Artist: J.P. Mavinga
Color Artist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artist: J.P. Mavinga

Writing

Where do I begin? Bill Harms brought the heat this week in White Sky. Bill continues to show why he is such a brilliant writer through careful and detailed character exposition. While we don’t learn a ton more about Violet in this issue, she provides a vessel for us to learn more about the world around her. The world has gone to hell in a hand-basket, and being a good person isn’t usually synonymous with staying alive in this world. Harms treats us to a beautiful glimpse at how, even in this world of tragedy, where the hunger consumes ghosts, it’s hope that can keep Violet pushing forward.

It’s the moving forward into the unknown that continues to drive this series. Harms quickly outlined after the first issue of White Sky that while the first issue may have the dad/daughter apocalypse trope, this would fundamentally be a story about Violet. White Sky #5 takes the most significant step so far in cementing that truth. While Violet still wants to find her dad, this issue makes it abundantly clear that Violet not only is the center of this story but may have a bigger role to play in the world of White Sky than we even know right now. White Sky #5 shows us there’s more to death in this world. The existence between the souls, their hunger, and the living is complex and dark. This issue was perfectly chilling and eerie, and Harm’s author’s note at the end of the issue unexpectedly brought me to tears.

Art

Without spoilers, it’s tough to highlight just how much stunning art J.P Mavinga brought to the story this issue, but what a treat. In this post-apocalyptic world, every stroke of Mavinga’s art feels like it serves a purpose. On top of a few new designs related to big reveals that are stunning, Mavinga shines in showing us ghosts that are both terrifying and familiar. It’s Mavinga’s ability to capture their spectral aspect while maintaining the details that easily identify them as lost loved ones that really make the ghosts spectacular additions to this story.

Lee Loughridge brings depth to Mavinga’s designs, giving the ghosts their haunting and spectral appearance. It’s the dark earth tones and shades that really bring the gritty feel to this story. Even the “bright” colors feel a little bit murky in this world, and that really helps sell the post-apocalyptic feel of this world. Ed Dukeshire ties all of the story together with perfectly styled word bubbles. It’s Dukeshire’s work that perfectly brings together the haunting world of White Sky, drawing the viewers deeper into this haunting and dark world

Final Thoughts

White Sky #5 answers so many questions. Bill Harms put together the best issue yet from a writing perspective. The story shows us so much of the world just beyond what Violet sees. Harms’s writing, combined with Mavinga and Loughridge’s art, reminds us that this is not a regular post-apocalyptic world. Here, death has a cost, the hunger is real, and dealing with ghosts that know who you are is a different realm of pain and fear.

Overall Grade: 9.5 / 10

What did you think of this issue of White Sky? Let me know in the comments