(W) W. Maxwell Prince (A) Martin Simmonds
Swan Songs is the new anthology series from W. Maxwell Prince. The anthology format is clearly something he specialises in. From Ice Cream Man to Haha, his work primarily exists in one shot form and often with different artists along for the ride. With Swan Songs, the basic idea is that every issue is to do with an ending of sorts. Whether it’s the end of a marriage, the end of the day, or in this case, the end of the world itself.
Now if this is the subject matter you’re going to be dealing with then there are few artists out there better equipped to bring this hellish landscape to life than The Department of Truth co-creator and series artist Martin Simmonds. I’d said it before regarding The Ribbon Queen, and Swan Songs is also in the conversation for the best #1 this year. Where Swan Songs maybe has the edge, is that this is a one shot. And that is the strength of a series like this. You can dip in and out, pick up issues if you like the sound of the story, or it’s with an artist you particularly like. A perfect series for new readers or the non committal types!
With the theme of this issue being the end of the world itself, it may perhaps be rather surprising that we focus on a very small story within the apocalypse itself, that of Brian who is caring for his sick mother, as the ‘Atomic Clock’ counts down to zero. The story is very sincere rather than a cynical end of the world story, as Brian is determined to get one last issue of his mother’s favourite gardening magazine before everything ends.
This allows the scale of the end of the world to be briefly glimpsed as Brian makes his way through the war torn streets as society collapses in the face of its demise. We are constantly reminded throughout the book with a countdown on every other page, further highlighting the tension and hope that Brian will complete this last task for his mother.
His noble quest for the magazine introduces a broad range of eccentric and volatile characters, but his internal monologue emphasises his approach to doomsday based upon work with his therapist and frames all of the external threats with greater significance. A complete focus on caring for one person combined with an inability to confront the massive problems surrounding them both makes Brian a deeply sympathetic figure for readers standing amidst rising tides of literal climate change.
Simmonds is the perfect artist for this territory, given his experience with The Department of Truth. Large splash panels, including a very impressive first and final page, provide readers with a sense of enormity. Towers loom, fires rage, and entropy consumes all as layers of Simmonds’ various technical effects morph appearances within each page. There’s so much dread emanating from his city on the brink that makes Brian’s 24-page journey much easier to access.
Swan Songs #1 invites readers to explore finality in a medium that seemingly never ends, after all there’s always next weeks releases to pick up! Yet Prince’s career is a testament to “less is more” and what is achieved in this first issue affirms that few creators working today can write a single issue story better in 2023. Combined with the consistently stunning work and perfectly suited style of Simmonds, it makes for an outstanding debut that seriously addresses the anxiety of feeling like one is living in the end times.
Now about issue 2, and the end of a marriage…
