Review: Strange Skies
Catherine wakes up on the floor of the plane's toilet cubicle. Her pregnancy test lies nearby, reading positive. Did she faint? Coming out of the cubicle, she discovers that something strange is going on: she was not the only one to pass out. Everyone on the plane - crew and passengers - all lost consciousness at the same time, and they are just now waking up...
What caused the blackout? How long were they out for? Is the plane still on course? Looking out the window she sees strange cloud formations... and no sight of land or ocean.
Along with the flight marshal she gains access to the cockpit. The pilot is dead and the plane is headed towards a gigantic cloud in the shape of a vortex...
So begins Strange Skies, written and drawn by Iqbal Ali, a seven-part mystery drama. The story follows the frightened, confused individuals as they try to make sense of their predicament. Outside lies the unknown, but there is danger inside also as paranoia, jealousy and prejudice threaten to tip the volatile situation amongst the crew and passengers over into violence.
A curious mixture of opposites - claustrophobia and agoraphobia - this is Hitchcock thriller meets Twilight Zone nightmare. The black and white pages add to the retro feel, though the setting appears to be contemporary. Trapped within the confines of their metal prison, our protagonists face mounting pressure, with different people reacting in different ways: some paralysed with fear, some lashing out, some stepping up and taking responsibility to try and regain control. But with precious little information to go on it is unclear what recourse is available to them.
This is as much an exploration of the human responses to stress and the interplay of different personality types, as it is a paranormal mystery. Ali's stark, bombastic drawings are a good fit for the raw, naked emotions on display. The reader almost wonders if the people on the plane will survive each other long before eventually meeting their otherworldly fate...
As the tale progresses, so the questions multiply and the feelings of terror and helplessness increase. Each chilling detail is like a fresh dose of psychological torture, carefully measured to shatter any remnants of security. Will courage and determination win the day in the end? Or is there greater wisdom for our heroes in learning to accept the things they cannot change?
What do you do when you cannot wake up from the nightmare?
Strange Skies at Iqbal A Comics
Zak Webber
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