Bigger Than Capes

Publisher: Ahoy Comics!
Writer: Alisa Kwitney
Artist: Mauricet
Letterer: Rob Steen

It’s very much a cliché to say each issue of G.I.L.T. gets better but it absolutely does. Here in issue #3 we’re deep into the plot and boy does it contain some of my favourite time travel tropes. There’s time loops, co-incidences, things dropped in as the mythology expands. There is a lot going on but the pacing remains excellent and the art does too, so much fun.

Last issue a Pan Am flight from 1973 got transported to 2017. We don’t know quite why but it’s indicative of all kinds of time travel shenanigans that are scattered throughout the rest of the issue. I love how it’s introduced through Suzy, the flight controller in 1973 who’s still doing the job in 2017. It’s so clever to compare and contrast those two time periods with the same character linking both of them. It’s a neat way of reminding us how last issue ended and also underlining the different time periods.

Meanwhile in a beautifully drawn, slightly crowded airport in 1973 Hildy is causing her friends concern as she smokes and drinks and hopes to change the future. However, the arrival of Edwin the doorman (with one of the best visually arresting drawn suits I’ve seen) signals the fact that there are rules to be obeyed and Hildy hasn’t done so. Edwin is here to deliver a letter and bring her back but things aren’t as easy as he hoped. The idea that there is some oversight for the time travelling is a fun concept this issue and it’s great to see how G.I.L.T. expands out the world of time travel here.

There’s also some really interesting insights into Hildy. She’s trying to hold onto her friend Vera. That’s really her arc this issue. We go through time seeing how they drifted apart, something Hildy puts down to her marrying Mr. Man but what if it wasn’t? I love a good travel through time. We go from a panel in 1973 to 1983 to 1993 and the aesthetics of each period is really nicely depicted. There’s the round bright curves of the 70’s, the shoulder pads of the 80’s and the dresses of the 90’s. You can instantly tell the period just by the fashion (which is on point) and the décor. Really nicely done.

The bulk of the time travel plot developments come with Trista, Wynn and their parents. There’s a really neat little bit with a pigeon that proves, as Wynn says, that there’s a hole in the space-time continuum. That whole pigeon plot also involves a bystander who has an encounter back in the twenties that then colours his whole life over the next forty-four years. There’s a fair bit of humour in his reactions as we discover there’s some disturbances through time. I love how this exposition plays out neatly and simply from Wynn’s observations of the pigeon through the arrival of Edwin. These are big concepts but they are understandable through the way they are depicted. You get the impression that the space-time continuum is a bit wibbly wobbly.

Trista and Wynn appear to have a connection but of course we also see that that connection is not a coincidence. I love how there’s this cycle in the passages of time, how the past informed the future and then the future informs the past. It’s really fun to see those time loop concepts played around with. I will also say I love the background details of Wynn’s room. The Star Trip poster is a particular favourite. I also really like the featured in universe Ahoy comic ‘Traumatic Time Travel Tales’ that provides Trista with a memory jog.

This issue really keeps up the momentum. I love the new aspects of the world of time travel but it’s beautifully balanced with character moments. Plus there’s the usual dose of good humour. With superb writing and art this is rapidly becoming a favourite time travel tale for me. There’s plenty of surprises and twists and turns with some interesting plot developments. Given another cliff-hanger ending I am excited to see what’s next.