If you were to choose a work that was indicative of comics as a growing, internationally accessible arena, and the influence of the internet in identifying talent, Josh Tierney's Spera would serve as a fine example. Tierney began Spera, a fantasy adventure series, as a web-comic in 2009, with Afu Chan creating the now-familiar character designs and also much of the art. It was one of the first ongoing series to significantly draw upon the internet for his pool of talent, pulling together notable artists from around the world—including Kyla Vanderklugt, Hwei, Emily Carroll, Luke Pearson, Timothy Weaver and Zac Gorman—based solely on what he'd seen of their work online. In 2012, Archaia published the first print volume of the comic, with a further 2 volumes to follow, and this month sees the release of Spera: Ascension of the Starless, the first in a new, multi-volume series.
This new series once again draws on a host of cosmopolitan comics talent: Giannis Milonogiannis (whose pages you see here), Atelier Sentô (the duo of Cécile Brun and Olivier Pichard), Mindy Lee, Sourya Sihachakr, and Valentin Seiche. Tierney's comic is unique in that it sets a meandering pace, focusing on the journey of its two princesses and their gradual growth, with bursts of activity in between. Ascension of the Starless goes back to before their journey began, with the world of Spera under threat from invasion from the Starless Queen. Princess Pira, the Queen’s own daughter. and Pira’s best friend, Princess Lono, have discovered her plot and determine to stop her, with the aid of their friends, the fire spirit, Yonder, and the ruthless cat, Chobo. Expect a dazzling array of art.
