Review: SONATA #2
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Â Brian Haberlin and David Hine
Artists: Geirrod van Dyke and Brian Haberlin
Colors: Geirrod van Dyke
Letters: Frances Takenaga
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
Two cultures clash on a planet called Perdita. Each culture believes Perdita is their Promised Land. The Rans are a peace-loving people, but the Tayans are a race of warriors who seek to colonize and control. The mysterious Sleeping Giants also call this place home, though no one knows if they’re monsters or the gods of legend. And amidst all this, a young woman named Sonata is willing to break all the rules to find her place in this world—and she’s not about to let sleeping gods lie.
Sonata travels through a hidden underworld where she discovers impossible science, a giant killer bird, and a young man named Pau, who sees himself as her knight in shining armor. He is also the son of the rival Tayan leader, which makes them deadly enemies. An underworld meeting of rivals on Perdita and access to a “jump hole”. This issue will take you to parts unknown. Welcome to Perdita. We learn more and more each time we drop in!
Positives
Brian Haberlin and David Hine provide an excellent introduction to the world of Perdita. This second issue is narrated by the Tayan point of view. I love the lettering by Frances Takenaga (which is the first time I have ever written that sentence), as you immediately get the feel that the voice we heard in the first issue is that of the Rans. But now it is time to reveal the Tayans. What a unique way of providing a succinct explanation of motivation without having to many “thought bubbles” clutter the landscape of the reading.
And to read items from Pau’s point of view provides an enamored view of Sonata. He even marvels at when she and Treen (a local creature who has befriended her….Think Han and Chewbacca) go through a “jump hole” (who would do that?) and travel “thousands of kubits in a second”. Kubits as a mileage indicator…..Writers  Brian Haberlin and David Hine are in the midst of creating their own mythology, and we get a front row seat! Jump Holes….think of The Talisman from Peter Straub and Stephen King. This writing is peppered with elements from other influences!
Does Sonata seem familiar? Yes…Think of Tolkien, George Lucas, Shakespeare, Disney and Game of Thrones paired with 2001 Space Odyssey. It’s a Frogmore Stew of literary and movie giants and it works!
Negatives
Last issue I didn’t enjoy the similar concepts, but now I appreciate what Haberlin and Hine are doing. Perhaps it is after viewing Stranger Things that I appreciate the homage to several different movies and literary devices that has given me an appreciation for Sonata.
Verdict
This comic feels familiar but it’s not.  Again, a reader can recognize elements from a lot of different comics, stories and movies. But it works and works well! As a reader, consider adding this to your collections! Consider adding Issue 1 to your collections. And be on the lookout for issues 3, 4, and 5.  It’s a fun ride already!
