Middlewest #14 // Review
Abel’s had problems with his past for a long time. Those problems are a big part of what has brought him under the yoke of slave labor. He’s about to change that as he learns a little about himself in the 14th issue of Middlewest. Writer Skottie Young delves into Abel’s inner reality in an emotionally dramatic installment that still manages an impressive visual reality thanks to the continued dynamic work of artist Jorge Corona. Characters share stories of the dark paths the led them to Raider Farms, where they work dangerous fields. Young provides just enough room in all the drama for Corona to give the world of Middlewest its unique visual fantasy.
Abel and company are being worked to death in the heat of the ethol fields. There’s nothing more dangerous than heat, exhaustion, and highly flammable bioluminescent organic substances that explode the moment they hit the ground. Abel is the only one thinking actively enough to actually do something. He saves the life of another kid. His quick-witted bravery lands him a meeting with the man running the farm: Mr. Raider himself. Abel’s concerned that a meeting with Raider might mean something ominous. Little does Abel know that he’s about to get an offer that he can’t refuse.
Young opens-up the world of Middlewest a bit. The initial encounter with danger in the ethol field prompts Abel and the rest of the child laborers to discuss matters of their past. Every kid working the fields has something dark that brought them to come under the authority of Raider Farms. The multiple backstories all help paint a more vivid picture of the dark rust belt fantasy that Young is developing so well for the series. The central nature of Abel as “chosen one”-style danger hero might feel a bit tedious. Still, the fact that his power can make him hero or villain with the most delicate changes in the wind makes Abel much more than the standard powerful male protagonist. His decision to save the life of another and make friends with someone who could have been an enemy in this issue keeps the narrative complexity from allowing the story to fall into overly simplistic good-vs-evil fantasy territory.
Corona has spent well over a year carefully developing the visual vocabulary of Middlewest. Here it feels fully-formed in a story that mixes a lot of different elements together. There’s serious drama between Abel and Raider that is given suitable intensity between close-ups of faces, seemingly casual medium shots, and big landscapes of the farm that put it all into perspective. The sudden shock at the beginning of the issue that brings Abel’s powers to the point of disaster is given just the right amount of impact to make for a suitably intense opening scene. Corona achieves a very sharp balance.
The series has possibly been a bit overdue for an issue-long close-up on Abel. The absence of Fox and the denizens of the circus is felt pretty heavily this issue. That feeling of distance from some of the more charismatic characters of the series serves to amplify the peril of Abel’s situation in another satisfying chapter.
