Somewhere under the cloud level . . . Judy Garland could make it work.

In the last issue, our little, blonde hellion was sucker-punched with the fact that not only was she not useful to her family’s legacy in any way when it fell under attack, but also the fact that the enemy who should not have been able to take flight against her did so by doing a number of impossible things, chief among them bringing her dad along with.  Yeah, she had a bad day, but as I had mentioned in a previous review, it was time.  Now, she’s stranded away from anyone she’s ever known while her home/ship and all who crewed her burn.

Tyson Hesse continues the assault on his protagonist in this third issue, but an opening exists for growth and her becoming more of a person we can begin to relate to.  I love Hesse’s talent with banter; his characters are defined by their snark, and everyone’s got a huge supply of it.  It’s one crude slam after another delivered with flair and joy.  It’s a blast to follow along with, and it’s really smart and witty.

The art style continues to deliver, and he gets to play with a whole new palette under the clouds.  The new environment is markedly more dingy, yet the crisp nature of his style shines through it all.  There’s no dearth of action, and the new characters and locations bring a whole new angle to the mix.

I have no idea how Hesse will wrap this up in just one final issue, but I’m really excited to see how he does it.  I honestly hope these characters continue on after this limited run. The world is fun, and I always need more sky pirates in my life.  Maybe he’ll write the nest Skies of Arcadia game.  A man can dream.

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