Air, Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries

Air #1

by G. Willow Wilson, M.K. Perker (Artist)

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.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Adventure

143 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2009

About the author

Hugo, World Fantasy and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics, including THE BIRD KING, INVISIBLE KINGDOM, and ALIF THE UNSEEN. Co-creator of Ms Marvel. Honorary doctor of letters, Rutgers University. I accidentally started a dutch baby baking cult during quarantine. Not very active on here right now, but often found on Twitter.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 1 out of 5]

A series originally published by Vertigo in 2008, is now being reprinted by Berger Books. This is my first time reading this first volume, and it is a bit of a mess.

G. Willow Wilson has of course become a comics star (I really enjoyed her now iconic run on Ms Marvel), so I can understand that there is an interest in her earlier work, but it's not really for the book itself that it should be reprinted, I feel.

The story is all over the place, and there is so much story, so much that there isn't much room for developing the characters. Worse, characters make choices because the plot wants it, no other reason. At a certain point the main character has set herself on a chase that has to seem completely nuts to anyone else, yet her two friends choose to accompany her, and I still don't understand why they would make that choice. I mean, I know why it happens, because it's fun to have friend characters in an adventure (one of those friend characters is an older lady, who apparently also works for the airline the main character works for, but I have no idea what she does, or really who she is).

I'm pretty sure Google existed in 2008, and a lot of the mysteries the main character faces could've probably been easily answered with a bit of judicial Googling, or cracking open Wikipedia.

The main character's instalove love interest (because an adventure is more fun with a love interest) is really important, until he disappears for the last quarter of the book. The baddies are underdeveloped and inconsistent, and the main baddy of those baddies also disappears halfway through the book.

The art is very 90s Vertigo, it reminded me of early The Sandman art, including the wonkiness that comes with that.

Not for me, this book.

(Thanks to Berger Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[William Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neil Gaiman has terrible taste.

I've learned that from reading the books that have his name splashed across the covers in blurbs that always say something more profound about the book than the book has to say about itself. In this one, he likens 'Air' to Rushdie and Pynchon and neither of those is very accurate because although Wilson's story maybe hyper-modern and laced with "magical realism" (a term I loathe for the fact that it deigns to be superior to genre fiction by not having to associate itself with terms like 'fantasy' and 'sci-fi') it all just seems too contrived and hurried for any reader to really grab hold of it. Add that to the fact that not a single likable character appears in the book and 'Air' just becomes one big problem. Not to mention all the other smaller problems that attach themselves to its underbelly like lamprey: the simplistic Jihad storyline, the comical espionage sequences, the love story that lacks true emotion, pages devoid of connection with the characters and on and on and on....


Grade: D

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first I wasn't really enjoying this. It starts out pretty unfocused and feels like there's no real point, or maybe it's the feeling that I can't get a handle in any of the characters or why I should care about them. We see them do things and say stuff but it all feels pretty one-dimensional, like no one is a real person - just figures moving around a chessboard and nothing serious at stake (despite the grand pronouncements and globe-spanning movements).

Someone else said "she falls in love" - and while I saw the panels and read the words, there was absolutely nothing about that sequence that tugged at my heartstrings or made me *feel* like there was more than just some bad stage direction afoot.

Perhaps the real flaw in this book I the flat, flaccid, passionless art - so bland and unconvincing that when the guy shows up as a different nationality six times in a row, I had to just shrug and accept what they were saying because he looked exactly the same except for some nondescript clothing changes. The faces portray nothing of the "sweeping emotion" others are reading into this, and the action is bland Saturday-morning cartoon crap.

Y'know what this really feels like? A bad high-school play, or a particularly badly-directed soap opera.

The plot *finally* picks up at the end, but by then I found myself skimming the text (bored with it really) - which is a very bad sign in a book where the art blows and the text is all that's left to compel you.

I think this is where I get off "Air" - I have better books to read than three more of this.

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could have been very interesting, but instead it sucked. I wanted to like it. I tried hard. I appreciated the diversity (main character is a woman, her sidekicks are a non-traditional man and an older Indian woman), I appreciated the ironic (?) character flaw of an acrophobic flight attendant, I was interested in the man who changed identities every time he changed planes. Cool. And yet, totally boring and kind of annoying.

The main character is insipid and useless, even when she's doing something vaguely badass like kicking a terrorist in the nads. It felt like she was trying to be the lead in a bad romantic dramedy when everyone around her was in a bad action movie. Apart from the main character, the Indian sidekick, and a really obnoxious villain (and, late in the book, the protagonist's boss), there are no women. Plenty of men, including terrorists, villagers, and of course a love interest whose very existence motivates the main character, but only a small handful of women.

I really do expect more of comics written by women. This one was utterly disappointing.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was kinda cool, kinda weird, posed a lot of questions and had some things that weren’t adding up. You have the main character, Blythe, who is a flight attendant who’s scared of heights. You have the Etesians pretending to be friend while they are really the foe. Then you have Zayn who is the mystery man that has save Blythe which lead them to fall for each other. Then you get all the crazy thrown in. Secret ancient technology from centuries ago that the airline Blythe works for has, factions trying to acquire said tech, a city that doesn’t exist but they end up there anyway and do some wonky stuff to leave? Odd. Plus we learn Zayn is working for some group we haven’t been introduced to yet. I’m hoping in the upcoming volumes we get some answers to some of the weird stuff happening. We will see.

[Jamil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. I dunno. I just didn't really give a shit.

[Carl Ingebretsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

AIR is a different creature. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it, but it's sort of LOST, if Neil Gaiman had written it. Kind of. Then again, it really isn't anything like that. Let me try that again; AIR is like LOST, if all the characters had been Flight Attendants, an airline was the Island, the Smoke Monster a feathered serpent and Dharma were terrorists trying to get their hands on one of the planes from that specific airline, while The Others were desperately trying to stop them. Oh, and in AIR you actually get some very clear answers, where LOST only presented more mysteries and set-ups (and I am saying this as someone who utterly and completely loves LOST).

So, yeah. AIR is sort of an odd one. But it is very, very good, and I really, really like where it's heading. Here's hoping that the subsequent volumes make me love it, with an ending that makes it all worth it. And, from the looks of it, that's what it'll do. It seems as if G. Willow Wilson has a clear vision and knows very well where we're heading, while M.K. Perker is the perfect man to help her get there.

[Alex Sarll]

Back before the wonderful Ms Marvel, Willow Wilson completed the traditional stint on a doomed Vertigo title. Her premise owes more than usual to the imprint's name: an airplane stewardess scared of heights, who gets caught up in the struggle between two covert organisations, each of which could easily be mistaken for terrorists. The way in which strange twist follows bizarre revelation is dreamlike, and not always in a good way, though the solidity of Perker's art is a good anchor. The jacket quotes reference Pynchon, Rushdie and (an unfortunate mark of its age) Lost. I can see why, but for me the mood was closer to Manara's trippy collaborations with Fellini.

[Pixie 🍜 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read 16% but this made no sense, was poorly explained and the art was kind of ugly soooo bye

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first line of dialogue in ‘Letters from Lost Countries’ had me hooked: “Aren’t you glad this isn’t a Salman Rushdie novel?” Why yes I am! Not that I don’t adore Mr. Rushdie’s outstanding prose, but I had picked up this graphic novel looking for something a little lighter.

Being on the lighter side certainly doesn’t detract from the number of real world issues Ms. Wilson has packed into this first slender volume. Part romance, adventure and fantasy, ‘Letters from Lost Countries’ follows flight attendant Blythe as she falls in love with a mysterious stranger and tracks him through a plot that not only involves herself, but her employer and the future of the world itself. There are terrorists, ancient artifacts and as the title suggests, letters from countries that are no longer supposed to exist. And all of this is set to gorgeous and life-like illustration from M.K. Perker.

I love quirky characters and ‘Letters from Lost Countries’ has many. Normally I’d cry for a cardboard cut out figure somewhere, a benchmark from which these others could vary. But this is a graphic novel, a fantasy one at that, and it’s allowed to have oddball characters, in fact, it’s expected. Blythe, our reluctant hero, is an acrophobic flight attendant. For those of you who can’t be bothered ‘wiki-ing’, that means she’s afraid of heights. She also has a degree in philosophy, not the usual prerequisite for such a career, but I’m sure it makes her conversational gambits a tad more interesting. Her side-kicks (yes, every hero must have at least one) are her fellow employee, Fletcher, and her roommate, Mrs. B. Fletcher is gloriously depicted with wild hair, too many earrings and quite a lot of attitude. He’s just strange enough that if he did serve you cocktails at 10,000 feet you might already think you’d had one too many. Mrs. B is a matronly Indian woman whose purpose (other than roommate) I have yet to properly discern. Perhaps she’s the straight-man I previously lamented. To top it all off, we have Zayn, Blythe’s mysterious love interest. Is he a terrorist or a peacekeeper, and which of his disguises shows the real man?

G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker have collaborated before on a graphic novel called ‘Cairo’, a ‘fast-paced modern fable that draws six unlikely characters into the search for a very unusual hooka’. They work well together and I look forward to seeing more of their chemistry in volume two of ‘Air’, ‘Flying Machine’ which features a flying palace and a long lost aviator.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Air jumps through so many genres that, in truth, I'm not quite sure what to think about it. And that, in a nutshell, is both the book's greatest strength and greatest weakness.

A strength, because the skillful ways in which it negotiates existing as both fantasy and science fiction, spy thriller and romance, makes it a wonderfully exciting read, where one doesn't know whether to expect a character to pull out a gun or a flower. The drawback, unfortunately, is that the whole book, as a result, feels rushed.

Characters are introduced quickly, and Blythe's opinions about them change so rapidly that the reader is left wondering what exactly we're supposed to believe. The Etesian's, in particular, seem simultaneously all-powerful and inept, while Blythe seems alternately capable, naive, and cynical.

My criticisms aside, the premise of the book is intriguing and unique. I can't wait for the second volume.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept, but the pace is too fast. There is no time for development, and I think this is tragic, because even though there is an interesting premise and characters, I am not very concerned for them. I don't feel like I know any of the characters, and so when there is a suspenseful moment, I do not feel any risk. The art makes me think of a lower quality Art Adams. It is kind of refreshing to see illustrations that remind me of 80's comics, but they do seem to lack a consistent anatomy, and facial expressions seem to be a weaker point. I will check out the second volume, because the premise is very open ended and I am intrigued. However, I really hope that Wilson starts to delve into character development and slows down her frantic storytelling pace. I fear there will be no legitimate conflict or drama otherwise. In the end, a cool concept is not enough. I think Y: the Last Man is a terrific example of what I am trying to say.

[Amal El-Mohtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an absolute sucker for anything that involves maps and forgotten countries and letters and memory, I've discovered. Also I have a lot of buttons to be pushed where airports and travel are concerned, and this book did a lot of pushing. I find myself (for what feels like the first time in a long while) less impressed with the art than with the writing; there's a quality to some of the prose in here that is not only very beautiful, but very unusual in the graphic novels I've read, which tends to favour clarity and simple effect over prose style, letting the art do most of the visual speaking. But that letter Zeyn writes really got to me.

I'd like to read the next one.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you think you could tell the difference between a frequent flier and a terrorist?

This graphic novel is the first book in a series of four. I'm not even sure how to summarize it, so let me simply say that it would fit in the following genres: science fiction and fantasy, romance and political thriller, spy and espionage, magical realism and terrorism, and I'm sure I've left out one or two! It is strange and surreal and full of quirky characters, but did feel a little too rushed. The art is really good though, and I'm hoping the story settles down somewhat, and develops the characters better in the later volumes.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh? What the heck did I just read.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I’ll give this one a star or two for effort. It was energetic for sure. I think it was an ambitious audition for a new Marvel series, with the humor of The Flight Attendant thrown in for good measure. (Good luck with that, guys.) So while I stuck with it, I can’t promise that I’ll be hunting down the rest of the volumes in the series. Edited to add: irresistible cover.

[Danger]

This is a weird series. But I am intrigued and plan to read on.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off sort of clunky but it becomes more interesting at the end. Many of the best Vertigo books take some time to figure things out, so I’ll give the next trade a try.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising twist that i didn't see coming. Flight by symbol driven technology. I've also never seen a story connect India and Mexico together as well.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

A romance adventure story about an acrophobic flight attendant, a mysterious love interest, and a vigilante terrorist group that features disappearing nations, corporate takeovers and mythological dream beasts. It's a bit much.

G Willow Wilson is an amazing writer, but her first Vertigo series is a lot of plot packed into a tiny space. There is an amazing twenty-four part story crammed into the first five issues of the comic (all collected in this volume) but without breathing room, it's hard to believe in. The romance is too fast. The conspiracy moves too fast. The characters who follow the lead character to a country that doesn't exist aren't given proper time to have believable motivations.

It is nice to see that the woman in the romantic fantasy adventure is the protagonist but we don't have enough time with her outside of the crazy events of this volume to really care about her. Or anyone.

Reading this volume was like watching someone fast-forward through A Neverending Story. Yes, it looks Super Interesting, but what the hell is actually happening in this book? M K Perker's art is perfectly early 21st century Vertigo style, and he's a master of panel layouts. They're not traditional, but I think even a first time comic/graphic novel reader would be able to follow the story without getting lost between panels.

I would recommend this to someone who has read a lot of graphic novels and is looking for something interesting with non-traditional characters. But I'd warn them that it's similar to the TV series Lost in that the pacing feels off, and the way the characters work their way out of situations often feels unsatisfying.

[John Blacksad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Üç yıldız.

Vasat. Çok keyifli bir okuma olmuyor benim için. Ne hikaye ne çizgiler tam anlamıyla etkilemiyor. İlginç bazı fikirler/temalar var, epey bir macera da var ama yavan geliyor. Önsözde buna tam değinmese de bu kitabın yıllar önce üretilmesi hususunun altını çok çizmiş G. W. Wilson. Burada onun yapmadığı bir çaylaklık dönemi çıkarımı yapmak anlamlı mı bilmiyorum. Bu malzemeden bugün daha iyisi çıkar mı hayal edemiyorum. Perker ve Wilson gibi merağımı cezbeden iki isim olmasa almazdım. Şu haliyle devam eder miyim, emin değilim… Önermiyorum.

Not: kuşe kağıt baskı güzel. Kuşe çizgi roman hastalarını (bu iş krize dönüşmeden) anlamazdım. Ivory falan da iyi derdim. Meğer o dengeli zamanların hissi imiş. Şimdi kuşeye hasret kaldık.

Not 2 (belki spoiler): okurken de zaman zaman aklıma bir başka türk çizerin yabancı ortak işi olan Elsewhere ( #sümeyyekesgin ) aklıma geliyordu. Finalde işlerde ortak bir karakterde buluşuldu. Hala devamını çok merak etmiyorum ama 🤷🏻‍♂️🙃

[Matt Shaqfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like it but it's not perfect. the story is really intriguing, and reminds me of LOST every now and then-- with it's country that isn't supposed to exist but does, and this secret technology of the aztecs that apparently supersedes anything our modern tech will ever accomplish... what hurts the book is the pacing. it kind of seems like they rushed through the introductions of this world and it's characters, just so they could get to 'the good stuff' sooner. i think there would be more impact if they slowed things down a bit, but either way-- i'll pick up vol2 for sure just to see where this is going...

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character is a flight attendant who is terrified of falling, and she has to be medicated to do her job. Everything about this graphic novel just gets weirder from there. She meets a man who has a different name and nationality every time she meets him. He may be a terrorist. He saves her life. She falls in love with him. She thinks he loves her. He disappears. She gets a letter from him; the return address is from a country that no longer exists. The letter, of course, is written in code.

I think I'm liking this book more now that I am remembering it than I actually did while I was reading it. I feel nostalgia for a book I read two days ago. How weird is that?

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uggghhhh... this is a mess. I bought the entire 4 book series based upon the good word of mouth it was getting from some authors I enjoyed and now I'm wondering how it could have gotten the praise it received (unless it gets frickin' amazing in later volumes). There's very little character development, the plot is rammed along at a pace that allows for zero development or explanation for why things are happening, and the whole alternate world that this story is operating in seems really... "off" I guess is the best word. I really have no desire to keep reading this series other than for curiosity's sake... if they published 3 more volumes it must get better... right?

[Heathbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just plain cool. I love the story and the artwork. I especially like the main character.
The beginning starts off very surreal, like a dream and then only gets more strange from there. There is fantasy and conspiracy and romance and adventure and philosophy and airships and ancient Aztec technology and Quetzalcoatl!! QUETZALCOATL!!!! I am sold. Did I mention that the artwork is beautiful? I am so surprised to see so many 1 stars, I guess that it is not a story for everyone, but It is certainly a story for me :)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

sort of a hackneyed fantasy idea though it might be trying to go somewhere interesting politically (remains to be seen past Vol1). I appreciated the visuals.
Since reading this, I've come across G. Willow Wilson in other graphic novels and her novel Alif Unseen and she's easily one of my favorite visual artists (in actual visual form or visualizing a rich scene).

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.K. Parker is an outstanding artist. He does an amazing job of making the mundane and routine look realistic & does the same with the fantastical and bizarre.
This is just a great book to look at. Stunning.
Then there's the story by Wilson.
Can't really explain it. It's a story of Blythe, a flight attendant, who's afraid of heights.

That there sold me on this book.
Next time you fly, pick this up to read along the way. Then, hand it to the flight crew to read~!

[Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

What starts out as a flight attendant reluctantly agreeing to deliver a mysterious package morphs into a strange tale of adventure, intrigue, and romance.

While not the best thing I've read, this series has piqued my interest enough to make me want to read more. Worth the look.

[sweet pea · Rating 2 out of 5]

the premise is, at first, intriguing. the illustrations are pleasing. but the story could have gone that far, but went THAT far. a little too much suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed. i could have ridden about 2/3 as far as it went. but that last 1/3 filled me with disdain.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of boring, and then got stupid in the way that comics always do. Why do all comics end up being about superheroes???