Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Casper Wijngaard, Jim Campbell, Emma Price.
Publisher: Image Comics $3.99

Angelic is without a doubt one of the strangest comics I’ve read this year. I mean that’s to be expected from Simon Spurrier: the man who gave us the David Haller era of X-Men: Legacy, as well as the more Metal Gear Solid-esque iteration of X-Force, but there is a special circle of strange for a comic that’s about a coming of age story in a post-apocalyptic society of cybernetically enhanced monkeys. It’s also definitely one of the most standout comics I’ve read in quite awhile.

Angelic focuses on Qora. Qora is a young flying monkey in a society of similarly enhanced monkeys who doesn’t fit in with her society. One that’s strikingly familiar unfortunately, with the focus upon male dominance of that society. Female monkeys like Qora are viewed simply as mothers who literally need to clip their wings and little more. Spurrier does a striking amount of work in building upon what could simply be a humorous funny animal comic and turns it into a poignant start to a story about growing up, disconnect from religion, and being forced by society into roles you simply don’t fit into. While the notion of outsiders who don’t neatly fit into any pre-established role is something Spurrier has done before in (again) X-Men: Legacy and X-Force, and X-Club. It takes a different tack in the context of Angelic. It’s a very thoughtful story of rebellion as opposed to the more metal explosions of Spurrier’s Marvel work, especially given Qora’s lower rung in society.

The art by Casper Wijngaard is undeniably beautiful though. As opposed to the usual gritty atmosphere post-apocalyptic comics tend to defer to, the choices Wijngaard here offer up a whole different world from what you’ve seen. The soft and lush colors give a very different presentation, one that works in concert with the type of story Spurrier is telling here. While it might be strange to see a devastated world that’s beautiful, stories don’t always head in one direction after all. Wijngaard’s art would be gorgeous in any context, but letting it lead the tone the way it does is a wise decision. While Image does have more than a few #1s coming out at any given time, Angelic is a standout. If you’re looking for a whole different world, one that offers up its own story at that, you’re in for a treat. After all who could hate a story with a cybernetic angel monkey?

4 Angel Monkeys out of 5