Air Vol. 1: Letters from Lost Countries [Paperback]

G. Willow Wilson (Author), M.K. Perker (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 24, 2009 | Series: Air (Book 1)

Ladies and gentlemen, there's been a change in our flight plan. You may have heard of a group called the Etesian Front -- vigilantes dedicated to taking the skies back from terrorism. Sounds like a noble cause, right? But there's more to them than meets the eye. They're after someone I know. Someone who is either an average frequent flier -- or a terrorist. And he's got a secret. Something that will change the way we fly -- and the way we see technology -- forever.

To find him, we've altered course. We're en route to a country that doesn't exist on any maps. Only one person knows how to get us there: me. My name is Blythe, and I'll be your stewardess today. So buckle your seatbelts -- this will be the flight of your life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vivid, painterly artwork and a twisty plot... The smart, witty but sensitive writing is nuanced enough that the story never upsets the balance between reverence and entertainment."

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140122153X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401221539
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1982, G. Willow Wilson began her writing career at 17 as a music and DJ critic for Boston's Weekly Dig. After moving to Egypt in 2003, Willow's articles and essays on Islam and the Middle East appeared in publications including the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, and Glamour. A lifelong fan of comics and graphic novels, Willow's first ongoing comic book series, AIR, was nominated for an Eisner Award. Her memoir, The Butterfly Mosque, the story of her conversion to Islam and life in Egypt, was named Best Book of 2010 by the Seattle Times. Her first novel, Alif the Unseen, debuts in 2012.

She enjoys British films, cooking, and World of Warcraft, and holds a purple belt in kajukenbo.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Air is Fresh and Compelling, a Genuine Treat November 23, 2009

By GraphicNovelReporter.com TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

G. Willow Wilson is flying through Air with the greatest of ease. Okay, sorry about the cheap pun, but it's true. Wilson, a gifted and intriguing young writer, is turning into a talent to watch when it comes to offbeat, magical realism comics for the next generation.

That is to say, she does a bang-up job of combining Lost-style conspiracy theories with no shortage of cliffhangers (Amelia Earhart makes an appearance here, and she fits right in, delight that she is). Our guide to this otherworldly realm is Blythe, a flight attendant for a fictional airline. Blythe is deathly afraid of heights and falling, but don't worry, this is not some simple trope for a series about flying. The old joke goes that it's not falling that one should be afraid of; it's the sudden stop at the end. In Blythe's case, her fear is that she'll continue to fall, on an on, past the ground and deeper and deeper. She may have good reason for this fear. Absolutely nothing she knows or thinks she knows is exactly true in this book.

Blythe first gets drawn into the madness of the strange world when she meets Zayn aboard a flight. She suspects him of being a terrorist, but he's not. He's quite a bit more. From there, Blythe is drawn into an ever-weirder plot involving hyperpraxis and the Etesian Front, the quest to change human travel lines forever, and the use of deadly force to prevent magical forces from changing the world forever. The title comes from a letter Blythe receives from Narimar, a country that doesn't exist. Yet if it doesn't exist, how is she receiving mail from there?

As with their previous Vertigo book, Cairo, Wilson and the always dependable M.K. Perker have created a nice little pocket of eeriness and strange behaviour. How long they can keep the mystery fresh and entertaining is anybody's guess right now, but for the time being, Air is fresh and compelling, a genuine treat.

-- John Hogan

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Air, never felt this good. April 25, 2009

By Vandal

Format:Paperback

I just finished reading the first trade paperback and it's great. I had no knowledge of this comic beforehand, I just read a preview a long time ago. The cover art alone made me want to check this one out. The art is great, the story is fast-paced, full of action and quite strange, which is something that I love in a comic. I hope this one gets a long run because it deserves it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh, charming start. I could fall in love with AIR (Spoilers) December 2, 2009

By G. Langisch

Format:Paperback

I just stumbled over the first AIR. I liked the premise of it and wanted to check it out. After reading it through in one session, i bought the second one today. And i have to say I am actually surprised how much i like it. Is it perfect? No! Does it have flaws? Yes! I just finished the DMZ series (which i loved) and it was quite a jump from the dark story of Manhattan going down the drain to Blythe's adventures. The drawing is sometimes a little too cute for my taste and sometimes Wilson doesn't take enough time to build up the story properly.
For example the whole beginning of the love affair between Zayn and Blythe just went a little to fast to make the implied overwhelming feelings between the two protagonists fully believable and the rest of story also takes quite a speedy pace. AIR could need a stop here and there to catch its breath and build up the characters with a little more detail.

That being said, I wouldn't have bought the second issue "Flying Machine" if i wouldn't have liked "Letters From Lost Countries". AIR is truly charming, i couldn't stop reading and i love the direction the story is taking. I do like the mixture of politics, love story, fantasy and mystery. if Willow Wilson and M.K Perker put a little more love into the details and give some plots a bigger chance to build up and add some (believable, thought through) drama to make it easier for the reader to identify with the main characters, AIR can count me in for the journey!