We Live
Writer: Roy Miranda and Inaki Miranda
Artist: Inaki Miranda
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
This book is heartbreaking.
Countless comic books centre on the lead character’s triumph over adversity, a successful hero’s journey where they draw upon previously unknown strength to overcome the evil plot of one sinister villain. It’s the comfort fantasy of ‘Good vs. Evil’, which is so easy for readers to happily sink into, enjoy, and be inspired by.
‘We Live’ is not this. Not even close. Citing influences ranging from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli to Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’, writer Roy Miranda says of the book:
“‘We Live’ is a story about defeat. It talks about a human race that has accepted its own extinction. Imagine what it‘s like to begin an adventure in that emotional state… We have combined two great human conflicts like desperate migration and the consequences of climate change, and we have placed them on the shoulders of two innocent kids. That right there is a fabulous blend of fairy dust and powder in the pockets of imagination.”
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‘We Live’ follows Tala, a young girl amidst the 2084 apocalypse, and her treacherous trek to get her younger brother Hototo off-planet before the imminent destruction of the world. Hototo is one of only five thousand lucky children selected to leave earth, with the rest of humanity doomed to die with the planet. Tala’s journey to deliver her brother to safety in the face of her own demise is crushingly sad, as they’re overwhelmed by mutated monsters, death cults, attempts to steal Hototo’s chance at a new life, and the tragic sacrifices of new friends. Most devastating is Hototo’s resentment towards Tala, in the face of what he perceives to be another cruel familial abandonment.
A key reason why ‘We Live’ works so well is how impressively it rings true to real life. Real adversity is generally not something to triumph over; rather it’s something to push through and endure, coming out the other side scathed and weaker than you were. It’s not something to engage out of a sense of altruism or glory, but to face out of necessity, caused by hard or unforeseen circumstances. Adversity can be incredibly complicated to resolve, and it’s rarely as tangible as one wicked person and their nefarious actions.
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What drives home the tragedy is consistently beautiful art. Inaki Miranda has created an awe-inspiring world and emotionally engaging characters that will transfix any comic book reader, hardcore or casual. As he commented about his artistic process upon the book’s release:
“The difference regarding my approach to the art, being now also on the writer seat, is that I find I can open more visual paths that would be more restricted otherwise. I can think more intuitively on the visual end, its rhythms, landscapes, environments, etc. I’ve always thought that the comic industry should experiment more with flipping the process, approaching the creation phase more like I think happens in video games creation, where the visual inspiration feeds the story and the world building; allowing visuals to exist without the previous and sometimes limiting weight of a closed story.”
Eva De La Cruz’s colour work is also a major highlight of ‘We Live’, perfectly complementing Inaki’s methodical and detailed style. She effectively uses a full range of bright, exciting colours, which interestingly contrast the dour nature of the story, but align perfectly with the young protagonists and their futuristic sci-fi world. Particularly impressive is how she always seems to manage to perfectly match two or three complementary colours, and then blend them impeccably. She also does so much to bring the ever-changing environments and settings to life, as the characters move through beautiful forests, deserts, mountains, and oceans, into space-age cities and sinister laboratories.
The book climaxes in an unexpected but satisfying manner, immediately begging for a repeat reading from the beginning. To say it’s an instant classic would be a huge understatement. ‘We Live’ makes a very strong case for being the must-read comic of the year. It’s touching, meaningful, and, above all, emotionally resonant. It’s the kind of book that will make new readers of comic books fall in love with the medium, and make more experienced readers remember just why they love comics so much.
Want more of 2021’s greatest comics? Visit Amazon to purchase the full length ‘Best Comic Books of 2021’ book or eBook. It contains 45 detailed essays reviewing the year's best comic book titles.
After more comic book news and reviews? The Sea Shell mobile app is available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and the Play Store. Download it today.