Ascender #15
Tim-21 tells the story of his time among the machines in Ascender #15, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. Ascender returns with something of a barebones issue, but that works for the story being told wonderfully.
This issue is very simple- Tim-21 tells the tale of time on the Machine Moon and what he learned- that there are two worlds, one of data and one of magic. The robots refuse to let Tim hunt down the world of magic, but he does it anyway, taking a Descender to the planet and meets its inhabitants. The machines follow him, and he gets a gift from both sides. In the present, he meets his family again and greets Mila.
Lemire has proven to be a master of pacing and revelations in Ascender, and this issue is no different. The pace of this book is very fast- it’s very sparse on the dialogue, but it still speaks volumes. It reads very quickly, but it also feels dense with information. The revelations in it are deep- there are two worlds, one of magic and one of data, and it’s quite interesting. Lemire has proven adept at melding sci-fi and magic very well in this book and where he goes with this plot is interesting. The two worlds are called by the beings who inhabit them the “twin hearts of the universe,” which is a very intriguing way to think of science and magic.
Lemire does such a good job writing this issue. The way he packs info into every panel and does it with so few words is a testament to his skill as a writer, as well as his working relationship with artist Nguyen. The two work magic in this issue; each panel is dense with information even though it doesn’t feel that way.
Nguyen’s art is fantastic in this issue. It fits the sparseness of Lemire’s prose wonderfully. The machines are featureless beings of red, and the magic beings have the same look, but they’re blue, a visual cue for readers that these two beings are more alike than they would seem. The backgrounds are while tableaus with spare color but little form, and it just works so well. The sympatico of writer and artist really makes this issue sing.
Ascender #15 is a masterpiece. Lemire and Nguyen are perfectly in sync, and their work mirrors each other’s- there’s a sparseness to the issue that is also pregnant with information and potential. It’s, frankly, a beautiful comic created by two masters at the top of their game. This is the first issue of this story arc, and if the rest of it can match this one book, Ascender will remain exceptional.
