This was an odd little mini-series from, OK, I thought it was 2017, but actually it was 2019. Cripes, feels like a million years ago. I picked this up, I think because the second issue cover caught my eye.
It's a story about the danger of trying to live in the past, or ignoring the present. Brandt and his wife had an argument of some sort, so he flies to Japan to stay with his grandmother for a while. Meets his grandfather's ghost, and realizes there's a tree in the forest where ghosts gather. Brandt can interact with them, just as his grandfather could, so he does that.
Is he helping them find peace or running away from his problems? A little of both, but definitely the latter once Arami, who he dated one summer while he was here, shows up. Why go home to a marriage that seems to have fallen apart, when he can stay and talk with someone who is exactly how he remembers her?
It's more than just Brandt's relationship drama. There's the question of why Arami and his grandfather are still hanging around. The question of what's going on with the monster in the woods, which Gane draws as a sort of giant centipede with a mouth full of pointy teeth inside a larger mouth of pointy teeth. Do we really not have a term for that? I'd try to come up with something, but I'm afraid what sort of internet searches this blog would start showing up on.
Ian Herring, whose work helped Ms. Marvel maintain a consistent feel through a whole host of different pencilers, colors most of the mini-series. He uses a faded green and dull gold during a lot of the day-to-day scenes. The mundane stuff like dinner with the family and cleaning gutters. When the spirits show up, the colors grow darker, taking on a bluish tint when Zero, the mysterious guardian makes an appearance. When the monster arrives, everything shifts to red hues. The tones aren't bright at any point, but the colors are stronger, showing the allure of Brandt sticking with this rather than going back and dealing with his shit.
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