Trillium #7

By Jeff Lemire & Jose Villarrubia

Issue seven of Trillium was released this week, which means we only have one more issue left of this interesting series. Jeff Lemire has put our time-crossed lovers through quite a lot these past few issues, so it was nice that Nika and William finally got to see each other in this week’s issue. Unfortunately, just finding one another is the least of their worries, as it seems time has run out on their whole universe.

Jeff Lemire continues to experiment with the format of how we read comics in this latest issue of Trillium. When Trillium first started off, Lemire’s approach to how he presented these two different stories that become intertwined was both unique and fun to read. However, these past couple issues have shown that this experiment might be confusing and slightly annoying for some people. The problem with the layouts of these last few issues is they felt forced to keep the crazy page arrangement going on past its prime and the result is it starts to take away from reading the story. Nevertheless, there is one sideways angled two page spread of Nika falling into a hole that spectacularly stood out this issue. The small gripe with the awkward page layout is a more about personal preference and is a diminutive criticism of an otherwise great sci-fi story. Overall, Trillium has been one of Lemire’s best and most ambitious piece of work to date, which has been quite a thrill to read.

It’s safe to assume that most people are familiar with Jeff Lemire’s style of art. His unique sketchy looking approach is pretty much a “love it or hate it” argument amongst readers.  Noticeably the heart of Lemire’s art is the fact that it carries a feeling of simplicity while upon closer reading is actually quite deep and detailed. So much of Lemire’s previous work has usually been set in the fairly modern era, so it’s fun and refreshing to see him draw futuristic technology in Trillium. One point about this series is when Lemire’s art is colored that it actually adds multiple dimensions to his already distinctive style. Together with colorist Jose Villarrubia the colors of Trillium carry an unbelievable pulp vibe that completely helps set the tone of the series.

Trillium is approaching the end and it has been a very innovative experience for us readers. With one issue left, it’ll be interesting to see how this creative twist on a love story will end. We will have to hold tight and wait till next month to see what’s in store for us readers. These past issues of Trillium have made for a compelling read every month, but it does make one wonder how will this series be collected once it’s over? Another outcome we will have to wait and see.