When it comes to comic-books it all starts with the cover. A character looks at its own reflection, in a wooded area. On the top side she’s unmasked, on her mirror image, the character is still unmasked, but we can see their face and the daisies that cover it. Once you open the pages to ‘The Wilds’ by Vita Ayala with artwork from Emily Pearson et al, you’ve entered into a post-apocalyptic world that has you devouring every page.
A virus seems to be how it always starts. By the end of the film ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ the human population decreases through a viral contagion. Then there’s ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ where the struggle for survival constantly tests the state of what it means to be a human being. It seems that somehow the world tries to find a way to end itself. Still, there are people like Ayala’s Daisy who attempt to maintain their humanity. Daisy’s role in this world is as a runner. Along the way she shows kindness to a man, the same way someone once showed it to her. Daisy is a veteran in her job of getting supplies to the ones who need it. In exchange for shelter, and a semblance of a life, her lover believes that the cost is too high. They argue, they make love, they argue some more. Both women have valid points and perhaps a bit of resentment for the tenuous way in which they have to live.
This comic-book is for mature audiences. Yes, there is sex, language and some violence but that’s not why. It’s for the audience who wants to examine human relationships, where the color of someone’s skin, their gender or who they love isn’t what’s driving the narrative. To be honest, that would be a copout. ‘The Wilds’ is bigger than that. That argument Daisy has with Heather is the real crux of this story. When do you know when it’s time to get out? Just how long can you live with people who use you and won’t allow you to keep anything for yourself? In a world like this, can you ever be selfish? Heather believes so, since it seems she’s been surviving even before the virus hit. Just when the reader is about to take a side, one of those moments of extreme tension comes up and people have got to get combat ready. The guy that Daisy picked up is in full panic mode, then everything goes black. Though the ending is ominous, there’s a short tale right after about a runner who barely escapes one of the slowest abominations in comic history. It’s meant for comedy relief, or is it?
Overall, things are about to go pear-shaped and you don’t know who the enemies are. But you root for Daisy, you want her to come out of this without having to lose anyone. What’s more, there seems to be a considerable amount of shady people with their own agendas and potential villains. It’s an exciting beginning.
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