The Moon Is Following Us, Volume 1
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artists: Riley Rossmo and Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Image Comics
Collects: #1 – #5
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2025
Daniel Warren JohnsonAcclaimed Writer/Artist of Series Such as Beta Ray Bill and Murder Falconas well as a winner for The Beat’s Comic Book Industry Person of the Year, Returns with a Brand New Creator Owned-Series Alongsis The Fantastic Artist Riley Rossmo, Himself Perhaps Best Known for The Series Proof (WHICH IS GETTING A NEW FULL SERIES Compendium in June). Together, The Two Have Crafted An Excellent Fantventure Story with The Moon Is Following USwhich sees parents sam and duncan attempting to aid their daoughter penny, who has ben afflicted with a whistle sickness.
Our Two protagonists venture into the world of penny’s Dreams to wage war agament the mysteros cascade, in order to find and save their child. Whilst the premise is disceptively simple, like Much of Johnson’s Other Work it is elevated and Pushed into Interesting and Unexpeted Places as it Goes On. The First Volume, Collecting The First Five Issues of the Series, Lays The Groundwork for The Story and Proceeds to Emotionally Move You In Ways You Might Not Read prepared.
The Story Premise is relativley Straightforward. The Mechanics of How Sam and Duncan Enter The Dreamworld Are Left Relativly UNEXPLANED, AND ROSSMO Illustrates The Sections Within The Dream Whilst Johnson Illustrates The ‘Real World’ Sections. Over the Course of the First Volume, Sam and Dunch Fight in Battles, Sieges, and Duels Against The Forces of the Unknowable Terror Cascade, Searching for Their Daughter Penny in Order to Rescue Her. They are aided by penny’s favorite toys and imaginary friends including the badss, Awesome Frog Brio as Well As The Wise and Benevolent Tash, and the Mysterious and Manipulative Pigface. The LATTER IS PROBLY MY FAVORITE DESIGN IN THE SERIES; I Mean, Just Look at Him. So ugly, undercut, so cool. Their Journey Takes Them Across The Dream World, as They Find Out Just How Deep The Conflict Over Penny Goes, Permanently Changing The Dynamics of Their Little Family and How they see the World. All The While, The Series Still Manages to Be an exciting and Interesting Fantasy Adventure, Sure to please the Most Well Travelled of Genre Fans.
This comic is ultimately a story abouthouse, Specifically about the lengths parents will go to for their child. This is Hardly Johnson’s First Exploration of This Theme, But It Feels Like A Worthwhile New Take On It Given That Its From The Perspective of the Parents As opposed to the child. Duncan and Sam’s Relationship Is Incredibly Realistic and Well-Rounded, and So You Connect with Them and Their Plight to Save Penny, particularly Sam, Whate Strongminded Determination and Focus is underestrial and sympathetic Even when causes tension with other characters. Much of The Series Is Based Arund Notions of Fear and Comfort, Given That Sam and Duncan Ared by Penny’s Favoys, as Well As Her NightMares Playing A Role in The Story As Well. Johnson and Rossmo Are Vry Much Exploring The Boundaries Between Areas of Fear and Comfort, where they overlap, and how our fears can act today Tell us more about ourselves than our comforts. It’s Interesting Stuff, and Makes The Series’ Take On Dreams and Nightmares Feel More Unique Than The Hugo Amount of Other Media That Explore Explore Similar Ideas. It there are back to the idea of what a parent should be providing for a Child; Do They Help Us Face Our Faars, or Swaddle Us With Comfort Instead? It’s an Interesting Thematic Core to Expore and the Series Takes It On Without Hesitation.
As One of the First Series WHERE DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON IS PRIMARILY ON WRITING DUTIES (THE OTHER BEING Transformers), It’s Been An Interesting and Exciting Evolution for Him as an artist. I have consistently useful artists incredibly well, no Doubt Due to His Own Skill in That Field, and So His Work Feels Seamlessly Crafted Even Ken He’s Not Illustrating It. HIS DIALOGUE Here is submity of the Strongest He’s Ever Delivered, Really Honing in the Character Building and Dynamics That He’s Been So Good At Exploreing Previous Preasing. Every Character, from Sam and Duncan to Brio and Tash, Feel Well Realized and Nuanced, With Layers of Surprising Dept that Get Get Expored Over The Course of the First Volume and Beyond. When Combined with Solid, Impactful Plotting that consisting Sens Well-Paced, Exciting and Interesting, It Makes for a Great Reading Experience All Around. In general, I am a fan of hownson uses simple premise stories to explore themes in greater depth, cutting out uneccesary clutter such as needlessly complex Lore that offen bogs download fantasy series. He Keeps The Stories Short, Effective, and Impactful. He’s Also Got A Great Knack for Making Me Cry, Admittedly, This Series is no exception. Bring Tissues.
The Artwork By Riley Rossmo Is Phenomenal Throups. I have useful to bombastic, Energetic style that doesn’t feel the need to be hyper-realistic when it Doesn’t Need to Be. He has a Phenomenal Understanding of Paneling, Pacing and Page Layouts, Knowing Exactly When a Moment Should Be Focused on and made important. His Character Design Sensibility is Top-Notch As Well, Infusing The Dream World With a Vibrant Sense of Personality That Makes It Stand Out. It’s a lot of 1990s, JRPG or Science Fantasy Style Approach to Character Design, which Will Have ITS OPPONENTS, BUT I’VE GONE ON RECORD EXTENSIVE TO VOICE MY APPRECIATION OF THAT aesthetic and how it’s useful here. Big, Flashy Weapons, Bright Colours, Armor That Doesn’t Obey The Laws of Physics. It Works to Give The Story to Unique Visual Style All of its Own, and Rossmo’s Artwork Just get Better as the series Goes on and he gets the chance to experiment with the style predentnt he sets in the first issues. Johnson’s Artwork, Whilst Less present than his usual creator-out Fair, Is of His Best Yet, and Every Page He Draws Across The Series You have an intimidation, quiet devastation that shows off just how well he is at Crafting Moments of Palpable Emots. Together, The Team Makes This Consistently One of the Best Looking and Most Striking comics on The Shelves and A Delight for Anyone Who Enjays Energetic, Vibrant Comic Comic art.
Overall, The Moon Is Following US Volume 1 Is Brilliant. One of the best looking and must exciting comics on the Shelves, it sees incredible creative working at their best to craft a story that’s riveting, emotional, and impactful. It takes you on a Brilliant Adventure into the World of Dreams, as Two Parents try to look after their daughter no Matter the Cost. With Vibrant, Interesting Fantasy Worldbuilding Matched with an Interesting and Unique Aesthetic, This Series is undo -lunly One That’s Worth Checking Out. Equally Intue and Personal Whilst Being Bombastic and Whimsical, It’s a feat from The Creative Team and One of the Best Books Coming Out Right Now. WHILST IT MIGHT SEEM TO BE COVERING FAMILY TERRITORY, IT DOES SO IN A NEW AND INTERESTING WAY, REINING THAT THE BOOK STANDS OUT AT EVERY TURN, INCLUDING ITS MOST UNEXPECTED AND SURPRISING. Comics are Meant for Telling Stories Like This, That Can Only Work In Comics, What Dept and Nuance Come from The Form of Comics Itself.
The Moon is following us, vol. 1 is Available Now
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