Score:
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Despite his mainstream success with DC and Marvel, I consider Matthew Rosenberg an indie comic author at heart. What does that mean exactly? It means Rosenberg demonstrates creative freedom, narrative risk-taking, and an emphasis on character development. I'd like to think he invokes the spirit of young indie film directors of the past like Demme, and Tarantino. Rosenberg has created in two issues some fascinating characters navigating a weird dystopian world that has set rules but will do what it takes to find one of their own. Issue two expands on this search while revealing new gangs and an ominous marketplace.
The first issue was a tense and absorbing tale of a world without adults and factions or "families" defending their turf while mysterious overseers dictate the rules. There isn't much background, no prologue, no origin story. Rosenberg drops the reader in the middle of a chaotic time. Now, with Sid missing at the end of the first issue, Alabama leads the group on a dangerous search mission.
There's a definite 'Lord of the Flies' vibe going on as the teens have to fend for themselves and emerge as these tribes in a desolate and abandoned landscape of empty buildings and solitude. The constant dialogue fills the quiet tension that looms over Alabama's group. She's the leader and the decision-maker trying to do what's best for them and finding their friend. Things escalate between another family and a confrontation is inevitable. It's the place known as 'The Market' that is one of the strangest concepts of the series so far. The kids in charge sound robotic and soulless offering help and repeating the company line. Again, there's no background about this either which makes the whole thing even creepier.
Co-creator and artist Tyler Boss works in tandem with Rosenberg just as he did on their breakout hit, 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, to establish a tone and atmosphere that conveys various moods throughout the story. The storytelling in visuals sets the pace with the sequencing of panels that incorporate many characters at once or the sudden ramp-up of violence. Boss keeps the characters and readers on their toes with some unexpected action. The style is gritty with detailed backgrounds and rich colors varying from dark and bold to light and dry. It's a distinctive look made for a dystopian future.
'What's the Furthest Place From Here?' is another creative tour de force from two comic book auteurs in Rosenberg and Boss. Anything can happen in this story of rival gangs, a missing girl, and the mysterious figures who make the rules. It's not often when you open a comic and don't know where it's headed. Readers are at the mercy of its creators and it's freakin' awesome.
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