Review by Frank Plowright

Jay Corvidae is a pilot in world where an oppressive regime stipulates an extraordinary level of administration as a method of control. He’d rather just fly, and at least pilots are looked up to, but respect doesn’t pay the bills. Before setting off on his latest journey he takes on an enthusiastic trainee, and after a poor start to their relationship, Eighty Days opens up in one sense, yet closes in another as the Aviation Vocational Order swallows up neighbouring authorities. It means Jay gradually becomes an outlaw.

Eighty Days is a graphic novel that could only have originated with its creator, A.C. Esguerra. It takes a unique viewpoint a long way with individual personalities in a well shaped background that gradually unfolds into a bigger picture. This is primarily via Jay’s brusque diary notes detailing a day’s events accompanied by Esguerra’s skilled pen and ink illustrations.

The eighty days of the title pass relatively rapidly, but they inform what occurs throughout the remaining 75% of the book. The AVO authorities are attempting to close down a smuggling operation, but it turns out to be much more than that, using the freedom of flight as a metaphor throughout.

Esguerra isn’t a creator who lays everything out. Technology exists, yet without any great background explanation or visual substance, and AVO’s procedures mark them as villains rather than any insidious actions. Illustrations show things happening, but not always pieced together to ensure clarity. Reading between the lines becomes an art, and the smoky segues between scenes another metaphor. It leaves Eighty Days as an extremely long and puzzling read if you’re not paying attention as the devil is in the detail. This applies equally to all four parts, never mind that the narrative view shifts.

Part heroic fiction, part fantasy and part romance, Eighty Days rewards the patient reader.