By A Thread #1 - Scott Snyder, Jack Snyder, Valeria Favoccia, and Whitney Cogar - COMIC BOOK REVIEW

A post-apocalyptic story that shines through the darkness.

What is By A Thread #1?

It began in a backyard… Written by Scott Snyder and his oldest son Jack Snyder, art by Valeria Favoccia, colours by Whitney Cogar, and lettering by Tom Napolitano, By A Thread is set in a world destroyed by death where life might come from diamonds. The Earth has been encompassed by a mysterious force known as the Shroud that kills or destroys anything it touches, and it seems only diamond is immune to it. Thirteen years in the future we find two boys, Jo and Canon, living in what world remains. A world on the edge of death, filled with myths and violent warlords.

By A Thread #1 Review

This issue opens in such a way that it fills the reader with a sense of dread, without showing the actual cause. We start with the origin point of the Shroud, a small patch in a backyard in Kentucky, and we are shown the threat as it grabs a small bird and we’re told that it started killing. Yet the bird’s death isn’t what I’m referring to, but rather that before that we are shown two young kids playing in the backyard around the initial patch. Combining this with what we learn about the Shroud adds a dire feeling to the previous panels as, without ever stating it directly, the fate of the two children is made clear.

This is an example of what I think makes By A Thread #1 work so well, the way it adds impact by not making certain statements. During the exposition drop we certainly get some concrete answers as to what happened to the world and what the Shroud does to almost everything it touches, yet everything after that is largely left to the realm of rumour, speculation, and even myth. The world is built not only by what characters tell us is true but also by what they suspect is true. It makes everything a mystery to unravel, an adventure that we want to follow the characters along on.

I also really like that, from the way I read it, key elements of the story lean into the themes of classism and even climate change. Though given to us as a myth, we are told stories of how the wealthy took control of the manufacturing of diamonds and used them to forge diamond cities that protected them from the Shroud, while the poor were left with nothing more than a base to build whatever they could and hoped they stayed out of reach. The use of diamonds works so well in this kind of metaphor, objects that, outside of a few key applications, are generally seen as indicators of wealth. Like how the rich are able to guard themselves against climate change more than the poor, in this world the rich were able to use their wealth of diamonds to guard themselves against the Shroud.

Favoccia’s art is so clean all the way through this book. The flow and focus is always clear, the emotions obvious at a glance. Every panel only works to guide the reader and tell the story, never leaving the reader lost amongst everything that is going on. The character designs are fantastic. Each character is instantly recognisable and personalities can be seen in what they wear and how they hold themselves. Even characters that appear only momentarily or exist only in the background also have a lot of obvious care put into how they look, each looks unique and also fully like they belong amongst the overall aesthetic of the world.

Cogar’s colours flow so beautifully throughout as they move between warm or cold as the story requires. One thing that struck me in the colours is the perfect amount of ‘pop’ in the colour of the focus. Characters stand out from the background while never looking separate from it, they match with it while still having enough in their own colour to remain a focus. There’s also some super fun colour palettes that help add so much to not only making characters feel unique from each other but also tell us about them. Jo is more cynical and in darker colour. Charlie is adventurous and wears the brightest combination of colours. It just works so well.

Napolitano’s lettering is the cherry on top. Never was I confused about the reading flow, even on pages of kinetic action and panels. Always they captions and dialogue balloons worked with the art and story, never did they detract or feel like they had been forced in. I also really love the use of Jo’s facial marking (I’m assuming a tattoo that runs across his eye and down his arm, though not yet stated what it is) as a way to signify his captions. It isn’t a necessary addition given that after a point they all clearly belong to him, but it is still a nice detail and keeps Jo in focus without any effort.

By A Thread #1 Conclusion

Get on board this now. What we have here is the strong foundation of a series full of adventure, mystery, emotion, and thematic content. There are so many ways that this story can unfold and it is clear that watching it be revealed is going to be part of the thrill. This isn’t a book that requires anything of its readers except to pick it up and read it, and read it you should. This is a story that has such a sense of fun to it while not sacrificing any of the weight, and that has the potential to be such a powerful combination. 

This diamond gets a 9/10.

By A Thread #1 is available to buy and read now through Comixology.