Created by writers M’ Shai Dash and Greg Burnham, artists and colorists Tiah Ankum and Tahilla Ankum, and letterer Deyvison Manes, Fumes is a “cli-fi” (i.e., climate fiction) comic book that is adapted from a short story written by M’ Shai Dash.
Even though I don’t enjoy a lot of sci-fi stuff, I do recognize the importance of the genre as far as trying to prepare us for the future. As M’Shai Dash stated on Fumes’ Kickstarter page, “Fumes is simple. It’s based on a theme storytellers have held up to the looking glass for ages: greed and the fight for resources. People and governments have always fought over land. Once borders were drawn, blood was shed over fertile soil. Next was water. Battles were first waged between tribes, cities and states, then governments, over who would have access and control of waterways. In Fumes, Yeulah learns that the next fight is for Earth’s air.”
One of the most interesting aspects of this comic is its lead character, Yeulah. She’s got a Pam Grier vibe to her because she wears her hair with a fabulous fro and is loved (and lusted after) by her boyfriend, Ridgen. Yeulah also knows her way with a gun, doing her job at X-Corp to kill these jellyfish-looking aliens. Most of them, anyway. For some reason, she is told to kill the green aliens but not the red ones and the mystery surrounding this is the heart of issue 1.
The writers do a good job with setting up this mystery through Yeulah’s eyes, especially through the use of flashbacks that show how Yeulah joined X and the mysterious ability she gained after a hectic battle that cost some team members. The artist and colorist do a fantastic job as well, particularly on a gorgeous double-page spread that shows Yeulah tapping into a strange ability that turns her eyes red and doubles her attack power. The red and yellowish lettering that occurs when this happens looks pretty cool as well.
Moreover, certain events that move the plot along show that when the going gets tough, Yeulah is ready to kick ass and take names. Even if she has to regroup and patch herself up, she still gets back up and keeps fighting. It is her admirable will to survive that will entice interested readers to pick up the next issue. All in all, Fumes issue 1 is a promising cli-fi story that is sure to entice fans of the genre.
Latonya “Penn” Pennington is a Black-Asian genderqueer freelance contributor and poet. They’ve written a plethora of pop culture criticism at sites such as Popverse, Into More, Comics XF, and many more. As a poet, they’ve been published in places such as Black Sci-fi’s Scribes of Nyota, Fiyah Lit magazine, and The Daily Drunk. Check out more of their work on their website Words From A Penn.
