Sonata #6 // Review
Three people from three different cultures have all had an adventure and a near-death experience on the other side of the planet. Now they’re all returning safe and sound to their respective cultures only to find that things aren’t quite what they’d hoped for in the sixth issue of Sonata. Writer David Hine and artist/writer Brian Haberlin continue a dive into pulpy adventure fantasy in a chapter that is primarily focussed on the interpersonal drama between the three heroes and their respective communities. It’s a bit slow to move, but by the time this issue really gets going, there’s a rather exciting payoff at the end launching the series into a whole new mystery.
Pau has returned to his family, where he’s reunited with his mother and father. It’s not exactly a happy reunion. Pau’s father considers his mother a traitor, and he’s not able to talk about what happened to him while he was away. Sonata isn’t having a great deal of luck with HER parents either as they are split as to whether keeping secrets is a good idea. The powerfully-built humanoid native Lumani, who helped save their lives, has gone strictly against protocol in not having killed Pau or Sonata, who now know too much having been exposed to ancient technologies. Things get considerably more mysterious when Pau sneaks-in for a meeting with Sonata.
Hine and Haberlin are moving the plot along with something of a graceful flourish this issue. Three adventures return home to find conflict after having survived great danger far away. It’s an interesting interstitial moment between more action-oriented installments that expands some of the world beyond the three main characters. The initial slow pace of the drama feels sluggish, but as the pattern between the three adventurers and their homes emerges, the issue gains momentum on its way to the big revelation at issue’s end.
Haberlin’s art captures the human drama in very static, vividly-detailed panels. The strikingly high-definition of the detail in every shot gives the drama a great stillness, that contrasts against the intensity in places. As this is mostly a story of politics between adventurers and their cultures, the placidity fits but is suspending from the beginning of the issue.
A huge revelation falls into place at the end of the issue, which suggests interesting things about the history and politics of Sonata’s world. The mysteries of the pulpy fantasy world feel genuinely interesting, but Hine and Haberlin are going to have to tread lightly in future issues. The story is at a bit of a critical point where things could get really, really unspeakably goofy if the delicate balance between the cultures of Sonata’s world aren’t kept in careful balance. This is an interesting issue, though. It shows an exact amount of planning has gone into the construction of Sonata’s world, which is a very, very promising sign.
