Advance Review: `Decorum’ Hardcover Showcases Artist Mike Huddleston’s Amazing Work

When Image Comics’ Decorum #1 premiered in early 2020, it instantly sold out at local comic shops. Then the pandemic came and brought associated shutdowns. As with nearly every other title, Decorum was delayed. And delayed.

It didn’t help the storytelling that writer Jonathan Hickman wove rich – and seemingly tangential – histories into the narrative. The irregular release schedule – taking almost two years for the eight issues to be released – only exacerbated the problem. The good news is that challenge is resolved a new hardcover compilation where the entire story is finally laid out for the reader to digest.

The tale – or at least part of it – revolves around courier, Neha, who is enrolled in the Sisterhood of Man, all-female school for intergalactic assassins. Her sponsor is Imogen Smith-Morley, the most well-mannered assassin in the universe.

It’s a moderately interesting tale, which is elevated to near must-read status thanks to artist Mike Huddleston. Huddleston varies the style of his work to suit the mood of each scene. While that may seem like a confusing conceit, it Huddleston handles in masterfully. While the reader notices the stylistic changes, they only enhance instead of get in the way of the story. That’s a testament to his storytelling ability. And it doesn’t hurt that the artwork is fantastic – bordering on jaw dropping at times. The book is worth the price just to gawk at the visuals.

At the end of this book, there are promises of future installments. While the story itself may not hold the reader to future chapters, the array of art styles and the way in which they are drawn and presented should keep readers coming back for more.

Decorum Hardcover will be available for purchase on March 23, 2022.