Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Alberto J. Alburquerque & Dan Jackson
Publisher: Oni Press
Letter 44 is a mystery. It’s a story that gives you nothing the characters themselves don’t know. It is just that kind of thing that makes this story by Charles Soule, Alberto J. Alburquerque, and Dan Jackson a great addition to the ranks of books kicking butt outside of the Big Two.
The set up of this volume is very simple and straightforward. The newly inaugurated President of the United States, Stephen Blades, is left a letter by his predecessor stating that all the missteps in his two-term presidency were a response to the discovery of something sentient arriving in the Solar System. The other side of this story comes from a team of astronauts, who were sent to gather information on the mysterious beings, who find more than they expected.
Both sides of the coin allow us to learn with the characters and really feel what they’re going through. We start with President Blades entering his office and having this giant bomb thrown in his face. Over the course of the book, things are slowly unveiled that gives us insight into the previous eight years and the preparations the previous president made in response. He’s the eyes of the story, and with most stories that would be enough to connect with him and go with the story, but there’s an extra element that brings you closer to him. It’s the overwhelming weight of his situation. Not the situation of a cosmic force, but of being president. Soule doesn’t write a character that is dealing with a made up world and made up conflicts, but one that is almost a mirror situation of the nation’s current situation. At first this may seem lazy, or may make you roll your eyes, but seeing President Blades dealing with things close to home makes the cosmic danger seem just like any other thing a president would deal with. There is lot more to come from President Blades, which will make for an interesting ride.
On the side of the astronaut, there is something we get that we don’t get from President Blades, and that’s a family. You have a group of people who have been living with each other for a solid three years and every one of them really knows each other. They have each other’s backs and this creates the heart of the story. While they are removed from the earth and have almost no contact with anyone outside the ship, there is a big sense of community.
Alberto J. Alburquerque brings subtlety to the story. There are a lot of big things occurring in this volume. There are a lot complex feelings and thoughts running through every character’s mind, but what he does is convey every subtle expression. You see it in every meeting President Blades takes. You see what he’s feeling or thinking without him ever having to say a word. The same goes for the crew in space. They are a family and the same subtlety is displayed with every conversation or big decision they have to make for the good of themselves, the mission, and humanity.
Dan Jackson’s colors on this book are amazing and only further the book’s potential. There is something subtle, but amazing about the way this volume of the series is approached from a coloring standpoint. Earth and most, if not all the scenes involving the President are colored in warm colors, while everything set in space and beyond are colored cool. On a first pass it isn’t noticeable, although when you do a good job it’s as if you’ve done nothing at all, but it creates this nice split in the narrative to tell you you’ve shifted to the other side of the coin.
Letter 44 Vol. 1: Escape Velocity is a powerhouse of a story and is a great addition to any collection.
