The secret powers brewing beneath one of the world’s biggest cities are conspiring to bring young artist Allison, back into their grasp. Your Major Spoilers review of Under York #1, awaits!
UNDER YORK #1
Writer: Sylvain Runberg
Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Colorist: Piky Hamilton
Letterer: Fabio Amelia
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 27th, 2024
Previously in Under York: Magic and sorcery exist. Underneath New York City a group of families control that power and maintain the balance that keeps the eyes of the normal world off them. Allison is a young artist with ties to one of these families.
Not A Great Day
Under York #1 kicks off with what appears to be the possession of a young child right in front of their parents’ eyes. Things then move over to the main character Allison as she loses her cool while working her day job in a food truck. Her boss tries to calm her down and eventually tells her she should go home to prepare for her art show that evening. At her house she tries to get her roommate, Petra, to help her move some stuff to the show, but Petra is currently consumed with how hot the newest mayoral candidate, Aaron Stenford, is. At the art show, Allison gets the chance to meet Aaron. During the meeting though, she suffers a headache and excuses herself. While away, Allison’s paintings come to life and start attacking the guests. She tries to counter the spell but is overpowered by someone named Bayard. He takes her to Under York, where she faces the heads of the clans that control Under York, and it’s revealed what her family has done.
Silly and A Bit Cringy
Just to get this out of the way, Under York #1, was originally written in Italian before being translated to English for this release. So, there very well could be some issues that have more to do with translation than writing. That being said, Under York #1 is not a very enjoyable read. There’s a strong young adult fantasy tone to this, which normally wouldn’t be a problem, but this is coupled with what feels like a lack of trust in the reader. This issue is packed to the brim with clunky dialog that tries to fill in a bunch of backstory while still trying to sound like a normal conversation, which has a strong negative impact on the way the story flows. Also, we don’t get a good sense of many of the characters’ personalities, everyone just comes off as blank canvases that are only there because a line had to be said, with one terrible exception. The character of Petra is one of the most insufferable and shallow written characters I’ve seen in a long time. Her sole function in this issue is to go on and on about how sexy Aaron is going so far as to claim that the only reason she’s going to vote is because of his hotness and abs. There are some parts of this though that were interesting though. In particular, some of the worldbuilding was fun, especially the look and structure of Under York, and the plot itself has just enough intrigue going on to pique my curiosity.
A Good Style That Doesn’t Always Fit
The art in Under York #1 is colorful, bright, and clear. It also leans a little to the cartoonish side of things, which in itself isn’t a problem and actually helps give this issue a unique look. The problem with it though is that at times doesn’t the cartoony look doesn’t jive well with some of the darker moments, but the subject matter isn’t quite dark enough to create an interesting juxtaposition between itself and the art. So, while this comic looks good 90 percent of the time, there’s still some moments that just feel out of place.
Bottom Line: There’s Better Options
Urban fantasy stories that cater to a slightly younger audience are not exactly a rare commodity and Under York #1 just doesn’t do enough to stand out from that crowd and in its worse moments, gives the reader reasons to avoid it. Some questionable characterizations and clumsy writing create an obstacle that is just too much for the mostly good artwork and interesting worldbuilding to get over. 2 out of 5 stars.
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Under York #1
Under York #1 is a comic with a cast of bland characters and the ones who aren’t bland are insufferable and borderline offensive. The world building is interesting, but the plot set in that world isn’t. In a market where there’s no shortage of similar titles, there’s little reason to choose this one over any other.
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Writing2
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Art6
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Coloring6
