Written by Marc Bernardin
Art by Ariela Kristantina
Published by ComiXology Originals
They tricked me, that’s what they did. They tricked me! I sat down today to read the new ComiXology original, Adora and the Distance, written by well-known writer Marc Bernardin, and I had never heard of it before. I had no idea what it was about. Soon enough, I pegged it for some familiar territory and I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “Ho hum. Here we go again.”
But they tricked me. All of them!
How? Well that would be telling. I just looked it up and some websites have already given it away but I won’t.
Not here.
It was a good kind of trick, and one that suddenly and completely shifted my thinking on Adora and the Distance.
Mr. Bernardin is joined by artist Ariela Kristantina, colorist Bryan Valenza, and letterer Bernardo Brice, all accomplices in the unexpected twist of this story.
And what IS the story, you ask?
Well, it’s a quest. A quest like we’ve seen a hundred or more times in fantasy fiction.
At its center is a dark-skinned little girl who is wise beyond her years and who has been given the run of the palace in which she lives. This is much like Goldie Vance, whose several graphic novels I’ve reviewed in the past. Goldie is a young black girl who is given the run of the hotel where her father is the manager. She and her older friends go on quests to solve mysteries…which is exactly what happens here.
See?
Familiar. The setting is definitely NOT familiar, though.
Adora lives in a more fantastic world like something out of 1001 Arabian Nights, mixed with a bit of Robin Hood, and a dash of Treasure Island. There are other, more surprising influences noted in the book’s backmatter.
You see, Adora is having dreams.
The Distance comes, destroying all in its path until it catches up to the one who dreams. Gifted with great protectors and loyal friends, Adora chooses to leave the kingdom, the only home she has ever known, in order to save it. Frightened, but resigned to the fact that in the end she will have no choice but to face the Distance, Adora and her valiant crew set out to meet their fate, encountering along the way a number of somewhat more existential situations than one normally expects to find on fantasy quests.
Some of the art has, to my eye, a distinct Barry Windsor-Smith vibe, but at times I was also reminded of the work of Michael Zulli. It’s all mixed together with the book’s distinctive coloring for an overall original feel, though. There are some lovely artistic effects throughout, my favorite being a sort of flying carpet made of musical notes.
After all is said and done, Adora’s BFF and greatest champion leaves her alone to face what she has to face and we are left with several colorful pages leading to…
And that’s where they tricked me.
One sentence. One word. Suddenly it all made sense and I hadn’t even suspected.
I don’t tell you, and I urge you not to go looking it up yourself. It’s a good surprise. A sad ending, unfortunately, but a good surprise nonetheless, that gives one an entirely new perspective, and an entirely new respect for Marc Bernardin.
As Jack Kirby once said, “Don’t ask, just buy it.”
Surprise yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Booksteve recommends.
