I think Wes Craig, Jason Wordie, and Andworld Design’s Kaya has what it takes to be the next Bone or Saga:

The essential elements are these:

• Intriguing, rad-looking characters who …
• Feel like they live in a world that’s always existed …
• And are incredibly easy to identify and empathize with.

Kaya has these elements in spades. Though we jump into Kaya‘s story very in media res, its basics are easy to grab onto (Kaya and her little brother, Prince Jin, escaped the destruction of their home and are journeying through the desert – trouble with lizard people ensues). And because the story’s basics feel so universal, readers have no trouble a) connecting with Kaya, Jin, and the lizard people they meet and b) feeling whisked away into the fabulous world Craig and co. have created on Kaya‘s pages.

Because make no mistake: This is a very pretty comic. Craig’s lines are distinct and clear (the best kind of fantasy storytelling – I’ll take cartoony stylings over overcomplicated linework any day when venturing into a strange new world), and Wordie’s colors make Kaya and Jin’s journey through the desert simultaneously look pretty and feel like an epic struggle.

I flew threw Kaya‘s 40-page opening chapter and have read it twice more since. Each time, I’ve found something new to admire. Whether it’s the design of Kaya’s robot arm, the neat shadowing effect Wordie applies to give characters more depth and texture, or Andworld Design’s bold, expressive lettering, there’s an entire well-thought-out world packed into Kaya‘s first issue. The craft and care the creative team has brought to this story really shows, and I’ll certainly be picking up issue two in hopes of finding more of the same.