Ascender #13

All across the galaxy, things come together, both for good and for ill, in Ascender #13, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. This issue gives readers a glimpse of what is happening with multiple plot threads, as the players maneuver around for the coming conflagration.

Mila, Tesla, Helda, Mizerd, Bandit, and Driller travel slowly through space, avoiding detection, making their way towards the ghost planet of Phages, the tension of being chased getting to everyone a bit. On Sampson, Andy and Effie journey with their mysterious savior, Kanto, to his village, learning a bit about him on the way. Mother and Sister go to Amun and send a message to all of Mother's forces, telling them to hunt down the UGC rebels and their new leader so she can destroy them. The Gnishian king is ready to destroy Mila and company's ship, but his advisor steers him on another course, one that could give them more leverage with Mother, to a moon full of hidden tech, Dirishu-6. Mila and company make it to Phages and encounter another old friend.

This issue is fairly bursting at the seams with plot, but Lemire is able to fit everything in admirably. It's really a testament to his writing that he's able to do so; the story shifts locations and characters multiple times, laying out what is going for each group in a quick, concise manner. Brevity can sometimes be a detriment when trying to set up so many plots, but Lemire is able to pull off each scene without them seeming rushed at all. He's able to fit in little things that make this book more than just a bunch of scenes that progress multiple plot points, keeping everything from being dry.

For example, the book starts with narration from Mila about space flight and what she's been doing on the ship. They can't use their shift drive, since that will alert Mother's forces, so she does typical kid stuff, like plays with Driller and Bandit, spies on Telsa and Helda, and gets discouraged at Mizerd trying to teach her magic. Lemire sets all of this out in a few pages before whisking readers over to Sampson, where he gives them a short flashback to describe Kanto's origin before shifting to Amun with Mother and Sister and Mother's forces questioning just who this beautiful woman with Mother is. The part with the Gnishian king sets out a call back to Descender with Dirishu-6, where Andy and Tim-21 grew up, but also makes readers wonder what the advisor is playing at. He fits all of this in and moves everything along. It's just some great writing.

It's getting kind of hard to talk about just how good Dustin Nguyen's art is because it's pretty much perfect every issue. Of course, there are highlights, like the double-page spread of Mother and Sister finding the Oratory, the "ghosts" attacking the ship at Phages, what they find at Phages, and more. His watercolor artworks well for the sci-fi stuff and the fantasy stuff, and it's always a joy to behold.

Ascender #13 feels like a clinic on how to do a mid-chapter of a story arc. Lemire sets up multiple plot points for the future and never skimps out on the good character moments that make this book shine. Nguyen's art impresses as always, giving the sci-fi stuff the harder edges it needs and the fantasy stuff a nice, dreamy feel to it. This is a great comic, plain and simple.

Grade: A