White Sky #6 – The Old World’s Dead, and It Ain’t Coming Back

Years ago, the sky turned white. In White Sky # 6, we see Violet struggling to deal with the fallout of the explosive last issue. We know more about the ghosts now: what they want and how they feel. With Walter gone, his gift is now Violet’s. As she struggles to navigate the world, truly alone again, what will be the cost of this gift? Will it save her or destroy her?

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

Catch up with previous review for White Sky #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5

Creative Team

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

Writing

Wow, what a satisfying end to the first arc from Bill Harms. I love that this arc of White Sky ended the way it began, with a tight focus on Violet. White Sky #6 really is a great bit of storytelling. Harms does a great job of pulling back the curtain and revealing a little bit more about this world while still focusing on Violet. While we don’t fully know the meaning of the gift that Walter gave Violet, Harm’s begins to show us some of the effects that it has. Sally actually tells the readers perhaps more than any other singular character about the world despite only showing up on eight pages.

Not content with simply wrapping up this arc, Harms does a splendid job of throwing in some plot twists that not only set the stage for the next arc, apparently introducing some new characters who will likely have a big role, but also reveal more about the world in general. While doing so, Harms also creates new questions in the reader. It’s difficult to describe without spoiling anything, but Harms does a great job with some conversations in this issue that help answer some questions you may have had through the first five issues of the series while also introducing new questions and wrinkles.

Art

It was announced prior to release that White Sky #6, would be JP Mavinga’s final issue on the series, and what a way to go out. Mavinga truly did save his best work for last. As has been the case through the first five issues, Mavinga gets really creative with page layouts expertly using negative space to create non-traditionally shaped panels. In addition to the panels, Mavinga’s line work is spectacular. It’s this line work that actually makes Lee Loughridge’s job a little bit easier through some hatching and shading that establish the scene.

Loughridge plays a big role in this issue with the color work. There are a few moments that are either “oh I better pay attention to this” or “this is gonna be a major point going forward”. Part of the reason you brain tunes into that moment is because of the beautiful colors utilized by Loughridge to set the tone and moment of those impactful scenes. Ed Dukeshire brilliantly moves the story along but also draws you into the story. I love a point in this story where Dukeshire makes the letter boxes feel like they’re from the character who is speaking. It’s not something big and flashy that’s going to pull you out of the story, but it is a testament of how a seemingly small adjustment from a skilled letterer like Dukeshire can make the story even better.

Final Thoughts

White Sky has me hooked. This series has its teeth in me, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. This first six-issue arc has been so satisfying. It’s psychological, terrifying, and hopeful all at the same time.

Overall Grade: 10 / 10

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