It feels like it’s been forever since I read Spire #5. This last month has been a long one. As I started to read Issue #6, I found that probably important details in this Miyazaki-inspired, political, fantasy thriller have slipped away. I remember how the previous issue began but not how it ended. It makes me wish there was a bit of a recap on the first page as there’s a lot of stuff happening in this story.

Our hero detective is going undercover to figure out some information. She is hated because of her race (which is pretty awesome – thread-like, wiry tentacles come out of her back) but has been placed asbasically what amounts to the head of the royal police force, though with the new ruler in place (the daughter of the previous ruler), that position has become shaky. Attempts on important lives and various political intrigues have sent her on a mission into the realm of racial divides and outside the walls of the Spire itself to figure out what is happening. The series so far is dense with character development and plot twists; the world is so well laid out that it feels and looks authentic. Our hero is way in over her head but is completely loyal. She’s also prone to making terrible mistakes, and she makes a pretty big one here.

This issue is pretty much dedicated to shifting pawns. It is necessary and will hopefully pay off in the final two issues. I will conclude by saying the talent here is all top notch. Simon Spurrier is a fantastic writer, mingling drama and comedy with complex characters to move the story forward. Jeff Stokely’s Miyazaki-like artistic stylings are beautiful and cinematic. Finally, Andre May’s color schemes are gorgeous – everything has a watercolor sort of feel as the colors themselves seem to blend together. The book is extremely smart and well worth a look.