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In a world where super-hero comics reign supreme, it’s not every day you get to see a spotlight put on rising comic creators. Add in the fact that these creators are aiming to write sophisticated, hard sci-fi stories and you get something truly special. Stairway Anthology is like an entire dessert platter of short sci-fi comic stories for your enjoyment, with each one carefully crafted to put its own twist on well-known sci-fi tropes. While the stories vary in quality, tone, and topic, overall they form a strong collection that has something to offer for everyone.
Stairway Anthology is edited by Matt Hawkins, Henry Barajas, Ryan Cady, and Elena Salcedo with lettering by Troy Peteri. It was published by Image Comics on October 7th.
A.I.N’T Us
Stairway Anthology opens up strong with a story about the dangers of surveillance and over-reliance on A.I. As Junior moves to New York with the help of his parents, he realizes that things function very differently from his hometown. Written by Christopher Preece, drawn by Balazs Valyogos, and colored by Tomi Varga, A.I.N’T Us is unique, interesting, and will leave you wanting more.
There’s quite a bit of dialogue and story packed into the eight pages of A.I.N’T Us. As much as it might seem overwhelming, it actually isn’t hard to follow at all. Nothing feels out of place, and everything contributes to the story and the overall setting of a semi-futuristic New York. The art is simple, which helps to not distract from the overall story, and the portrayal of New York is wonderfully detailed. The result is a haunting yet plausible tale that serves as the perfect start for Stairway Anthology.
Antarctica
Antarctica follows Hannah Curtis as she starts a job at a research station in Antarctica (surprise!). It’s rough at first, but she’s convinced that it will help her find out what happened to her lost father. Written by Simon Birks, drawn by Alberto JA, and colored by Chris Northrop, Antarctica is full of personality and promise.
Most stories in Stairway Anthology feel like a taste of something much broader, and Antarctica is definitely one of them. It spends its time setting up Hannah’s motivations for starting a job in Antarctica, fleshing out her character, and making it very hard not to like her. Especially because the art is gorgeous and does a fantastic job of showing Hannah’s expressions. Every detail of this story, from the pretty coloring of the cold environment to Hannah’s thoughts mixing in seamlessly with the dialogue, makes Antarctica feel like the first issue of a story I very badly want to keep reading.
Bee Afraid
Bee Afraid offers a bit of levity among the other Stairway Anthology stories. In this story, an unnamed protagonist sets off on a quest to defeat the evil lurking in his apartment. He might be deathly afraid of it, and the big “evil” might not be so evil after all, but that won’t be enough to stop him. Bee Afraid is written by Octavio Karbank, drawn by Eva Carbrera, and colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick.
Don’t bee mistaken — just because Bee Afraid has a lighter tone than the other Stairway Anthology stories doesn’t mean it isn’t every bit as good. It manages to be genuinely funny while juggling the more serious mystery of what the protagonist is afraid of, and the art is probably my favorite in the entire anthology. It’s distinct, cute, and matches the lighter tone of the story. Bee Afraid is weird but in the best sort of way!
Big Guns Stupid Rednecks
Big Guns Stupid Rednecks strikes something between being amusing and serious, with a plot-twist that will have you reeling. As police officer Clint searches for his “hick” brother Clay back in the small town they grew up in, things take a supernatural turn. Big Guns Stupid Rednecks is written by Austin Hamblin, has layouts by Kurt Belcher, drawn by Donny Tran, and colored by Chris Northrop.
If you’re anything like me, you may or may not be tempted to judge this story based on its name alone. Don’t do it! This story defies stereotypes and is sure to pleasantly surprise you by the end. Without spoiling it, the premise of Big Guns Stupid Rednecks is not like anything you’ve seen before and you’ll quickly find yourself being very, very intrigued by the idea of stupid rednecks wielding big guns. The art is also a bit deceptive in this manner. It may seem simple at first, but by the end of the story, it’ll be your gateway to another world.
Bounty
Bounty is, as you might have guessed, about a bounty hunter. Saul is a badass, experienced bounty hunter with ambitious goals to get his daughter the education he never had. Retiring isn’t an option for him. Bounty is written by Carlos Giffoni, drawn by Andrea Mutti, and colored by Pippa Bowland.
This story draws upon a lot of existing tropes about futuristic bounty hunters, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless (much like the other Stairway Anthology stories). The twist is that Saul needs to collect bounties to care for his daughter. It creates a really interesting dilemma that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. Are Saul’s motivations enough to justify the potentially terrible things he might have to do? That’s not a question that can be tackled in such a short story, but the peek we get into Saul’s world is worthwhile. The rough art style and the earthy tones also pique my interest (and remind me only slightly of Tatooine).
Killshot
Killshot is short and gets straight to the point. With the world in unexplained danger, a group of scientists decides to send a bullet into the past to kill Hitler. Yes, that’s basically the entire plot of this little story. It was written by Joseph A. Michael, drawn by Atilio Rojo, lettered by DC Hopkins, and edited by Mike Schneider.
Killshot feels like it has a bit less to offer than the other stories in Stairway Anthology. I’ve seen enough of Hitler dying even in more mainstream superhero comics, so the reliance of Killshot on this premise makes it feel void of any meaning. The art, while done well, also feels sterile at times because of the primarily grey coloring. Which I can’t blame anyone for, since it doesn’t feel like anything in Killshot is supposed to be overly elaborate. And maybe that’s okay. If anything, Killshot is a nice break from the more elaborate stories in Stairway Anthology.
Pinkerton
Pinkerton stands out among the rest of the stories in Stairway Anthology, although not necessarily for good reasons. This semi-biographical comic follows Allan Pinkerton, a famed Scottish detective who finds himself pulled back into investigative work after he retires outside of Chicago. Written by Mark Schmidt, drawn by Donny Tran, and colored by Pippa Bowland, the glimpse we get of Pinkerton is full of action, gunfire, and intrigue.
Starting with the story itself — Pinkerton doesn’t have much of one. The little adventure we see Pinkerton go on isn’t explained or detailed at all, and Pinkerton largely comes off as a Mary Sue. Admittedly, I also can’t figure out what makes this science fiction or why it belongs in Stairway Anthology. The art, at least, is very well done. Pinkerton relies heavily upon its art to tell the story and I can’t say it does poorly in this regard. The action scenes are dynamic and exciting, and the events of the story are easily followed even when the dialogue is sparse. Pinkerton‘s story and general premise isn’t very good, but its art makes it more than worthwhile.
Silence
Silence is a post-apocalyptic story like no other, and one of the more innovative stories in Stairway Anthology. It follows Jenny, who lives in a world where music is outlawed and food is scarce, as she gets pulled into a rebellion while trying to take care of herself and her brother. Silence is written by Omar Spahi, drawn by Livio Ramondelli, edited by Mike Marts and Ryan Cady, with production design, cover, and lettering by Peejay Catacutan.
The plot is simultaneously both as weird and amazing as it sounds. I am always surprised when someone comes up with a new concept for a post-apocalyptic world, considering just how many post-apocalyptic stories are out there. This one is definitely a winner. The art is also equally as imaginative as the story and does well at portraying both the action of the story and the details of Piano City. For how short Silence is, it does a perfect job of establishing so much detail about its world and characters.
Spirit Of 666
Spirit of 666 is another amazing, unique story in Stairway Anthology. It features an alternate history where Puritans opened a portal to hell, leaving others to deal with the demons that poured out from it. The concept is so good that it speaks for itself. Spirit of 666 is written by Kevin Cuffe and Bob Frantz, drawn by Christian Dibari, colored by Simon Gough, edited by Chas! Pangburn.
Spirit of 666 is one of the special treats of Stairway Anthology. The idea of demons in 1700s America is absolutely ridiculous. How could anyone not love that? Everything about this story is delightful and the ending of it is a fun twist that takes the idea even further. The art is just as good as the story, maybe even making the story better with its dynamic angles, creative panel layouts, and tones that somehow fit a 1700s hellscape quite well. Stairway Anthology is worth picking up just to get the pleasure of reading Spirit of 666.
Temporal Intelligence Agency
Temporal Intelligence Agency is one of the most interesting stories of Stairway Anthology. Not necessarily because it’s unique. The execution of the idea is what elevates it to something great. Written by Frank Martin with art by Atilio Rojo, it depicts two agents of the “Temporal Intelligence Agency” as they ask a senator to vote on a bill that would give them more funding, using time travel shenanigans to get the answer they desire.
The story is fun and easy to follow. Plus, it sets up the idea of what the “Temporal Intelligence Agency” is really well, despite the limited space it has to do so. It also leaves some lingering questions to pull the reader in, namely about what the agency has to defend the country from in the first place. It helps that the story works perfectly with the art, which is absolutely phenomenal. Everything from the coloring to the varied layout of the panels on each page makes this so enjoyable to read.
Is It Worth A Read?
Stairway Anthology is, undoubtedly, worth picking up if you are at all interested in sci-fi comics. There’s a wide enough variety of stories that something will end up catching your attention (and it also helps that these stories are, overall, really good). It’s also amazing that Top Cow would publish a work aimed so explicitly at giving rising creators a space for their stories, and that alone makes this a worthy pick-up in my eyes. Every single creator involved in Stairway Anthology has clearly put a lot of effort into their work and deserve all the recognition!
