Disclaimer: As this post is categorized as a review, it may contain spoilers.
Whispers is a comic that would have piqued my interest no matter what. A story about someone who finds themselves with manipulative superpowers is right up my alley. I love the sort of moral dilemmas these sorts of powers create, and seeing the ramifications of these powers is something I’ll always find compelling.
However, Whispers had another ace up its sleeve. It’s written by Joshua Luna, one of the Luna Brothers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their work in the past, and I was excited to see what kind of story Luna would tell on his own.
Well, there are worse ways to go.
Our lead, Sam, is a wonderfully crafted character. The book spends pages on him trying to convince himself to touch a door handle, but it doesn’t feel like a waste of time or an example of decompressed storytelling. These panels give us a deep look into the person that Sam is, pointing out both the pain and the humor in his disorder. By the time he stepped through the doorway, I was rooting for him, and I felt like I could relate to many of his struggles. I felt sympathy for him, I was angry on his behalf, and I wanted to see what happened to him next.
But when the comic focuses on characters other than him, it falls a little short. I wasn’t as engaged by Sam jumping from person to person or sitting down with a group of friends as I was by him alone in his apartment. Maybe it’s because Sam feels so three dimensional that everyone else in the comic feels so flat. Sam’s thoughts about these characters seemed more interesting than anything they had to say (or think), and there was something very strange about the way their thoughts were written out. They felt unrealistic, people stating the obvious without the sort of complexities we see in Sam’s own thoughts. Maybe there’s a reason for this, but these scenes felt dull in comparison to the rest of the comic.
It’s not that the premise of Whispers isn’t interesting, because it clearly is. Simply having the power to watch people unnoticed would be compelling enough, but Sam’s abilities to influence others should make for some really intriguing stories. Will he be able to guide people to something better, or will he only make their issues worse? However, this concept won’t fully work until readers are able to care about the book’s supporting cast a little more. It looks like some of these characters will be better developed in the issues to come, and as long as that happens, this is a solid introductory issue. I just hope the entire comic eventually becomes as good as the scenes of Sam on his own are.
Luna uses facial expressions very effectively.
Luna has an unusual style that works well for the book. His characters look very realistic, and his strong facial expressions liven up many of the comic’s scenes. The way he can subtly change the look on a characters face is one of his biggest strengths as an artist, and it helps give his dialog a natural flow, making it feel almost film-like. At times, the art is too static for my taste – especially when Sam is in his out of body form – but other times, it feels perfect for the scene. There’s a softness to his colors that I really like, and I enjoy the way he makes use of shadow.
I’d recommend this comic to anyone who’s enjoyed titles like Girls or The Sword. One of the things I liked best about those comics is that they told fantasy stories that felt very grounded in reality, and Whispers offers that in spades. If you’re interested in comics with a dysfunctional lead, I’d also suggest giving this a look. Sam’s germophobic and OCD tendencies are explored in a very interesting way, and I expect the series to deal with them more as it progresses. Joshua Luna has created a fascinating character in Sam, and I’m excited to see where he takes him next.