REVIEW: 'G.I.L.T.' #1 by Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet

 

GILT #1

Writer: Alisa Kwitney

Artist: Mauricet

Letterer: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: April 6, 2022

Cover Price: $4.99

Meet Hildy Winters, a tough, outspoken survivor of New York City's Upper West Side-with her very own time-travel portal. For Hildy belongs to G.I.L.T., the Guild of Independent Lady Temporalists. Their prime directive: Do not alter the past without co-op board approval! A snappy, stylish urban fantasy by novelist/comics writer Alisa Kwitney (Rogue: Untouched, The Sandman Presents) and artist Mauricet (Star Wars Adventures, Dastardly & Muttley).

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

Ahoy Comics continues to be a beacon of quirky entertaining storytelling in the comics industry. The home of The Wrong Earth, Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Death, Billionaire's Island, Black's Myth, and Snelson have provided smart, funny, satirical, and subversive comics you won't find anywhere else. The streak continues with another unexpected gem in 'G.I.L.T.' #1 by Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet.

It's 1973 and Hildy is on her way to get married but her close friends debate the virtues of tying the knot. The narration reveals Hildy's trepidation that day and how she'd like to redo things. Cut to 2017 when home health care provider Trista knocks on Hildy's New York apartment door. She's there to help her around the house but Hildy is annoyed with a thorny disposition. The two don't hit it off right away despite having some things in common. The issue is really about them getting to know one another. It's an endearing and funny character-driven piece of storytelling that doesn't reveal too much. Kwitney has a charming writing style full of confidence and attitude. It's the perfect tone for these two women from different eras of feminism, one with a huge secret. 

The issue plays out like a television dramedy of women sharing their life experiences and finding some parallels. The first issue is very disarming because you'll be convinced you know where it's headed and then it takes a big turn. As described by Ahoy, Hildy is "a tough, outspoken survivor of New York City's Upper West Side-with her very own time-travel portal." So the time travel part isn't a complete surprise but the fact that these two feisty characters cross paths and travel to the past is a complete delight. It's a mix of not only 'Sex and the City' but also its current sequel 'And Just Like That' with a 'Quantum Leap' premise. You didn't know you needed this until you read it. 

Mauricet does a wonderful job of bringing the energy of New York City and the feisty defiance of Hildy with beautiful designs and expressions. Fashionable and unyielding, the clothes show how these women see themselves, confident, expressive, and unapologetic. The creative team is setting the tone and foundation for what we're going to expect from these characters which just makes them more appealing. The colors are bright from a very specific palette of blue, purple, yellow, and burnt orange. The pacing is brisk and Mauricet provides plenty of motion and interaction between the characters so there's no lag in the story. 

'G.I.L.T' is a surprising and unassuming winner that shines the light on women of a certain age leading this genre-blending time travel story. 'And Just Like That' meets 'Quantum Leap' in a charming entertaining new series that defies expectations and draws readers in with great art and witty writing.