Review: Fairlady: The Case of the Blue Rock

Apr 15, 2019

By: Robyn McGlotten

The war has ended and soldiers must find a way to reintegrate into society. Jenner Faulds works as private security and also freelances as a private investigator. When the story opens she is on a case to locate an alleged embezzler who has absconded with a sizable sum from a very irate employer. Her investigation begins in the Feld, a mid-size village that has presumably built up in the aftermath of the war. The town exists inside the remnants of destruction of a creature or machine that is as yet unknown (and at this juncture, unimportant) to the reader. We know that Jenner is a former soldier who disguised herself as a man in order to fight in the war. It’s obvious as she moves from place to place and person to person that she has picked up various skills and (possibly various traumas) during her time in battle. The story progression also showcases Claudia Balboni’s expansive art style which shines in landscapes, structures and creature form.

Most of this issue is spectacular world building and writer Brian Schirmer drops us into a moving narrative. There is little to no exposition to give us a sense of the Heartland’s history or the explicit effects of the war. We learn through Jenner and her partner Oanu’s interactions with townsfolk more about how life and people exist now than what got them this way. Discovering more about the past of Jenner, Oanu and the Heartlands, will likely unfold in step with the eventual resolution to the mystery that is the Case of the Blue Rock.

Writer: Brian Schirmer
Artist: Claudia Balboni
Colorist: Marissa Louise