Temporal Issue #1: For the Love of Nostalgia
Creative Team
writers: STEPHANIE WILLIAMS
artist: ASIAH FULMORE
colorist: DJ CHAVIS
letterer: BECCA CAREY
publisher: MAD CAVE STUDIOS
Reviewed by Katelynn Virgous
Temporal takes your average midlife crisis and heightens the stakes. The everyday woman is framed to be in love with the idea of getting married to a loyal partner, having an adoring child, and a successful career. But for Savannah, this isn’t enough. She pines for the adrenaline of her past.
Writer Stephanie Williams opens this story in a history museum where we meet our main protagonists, Savannah and her coworker, Marcus. In the midst of a heist, they take a detour through the museum, reminiscing on exciting memories from joint missions to the past. Marcus plants a mustard seed of love between them, asking for a shot at a date. Savannah declines, but their chemistry steadily brews. They head to their objective and take off into the future.
The story fast-forwards 10 years to 2072 in Chicago and Savannah is the owner of Vintage Vibes, a store for nostalgia seekers of the future. While celebrating her son Harper’s birthday, Savannah just feels off. Her now husband Marcus attempts to solve her mysterious behavior, but to no avail. She gifts her son with a Minimax replica, a rarity these days, but Harper’s disappointment is made clear. Later in bed, Marcus approaches Savannah about the unsettling vibes, and she confides in him.
Being able to see this couple before they were together makes this scene so intimate. The reader is already informed of their individual decision-making skills, personalities, and risk perceptions rather than their thoughts and beliefs being consolidated into one. Instead of the known tales of men facing their midlife crisis resulting in cheating or abandonment for a new life, we receive a new one with the tug of war between long-term passion and contentment.
The Temporal team makes world immersion effortless. Through casual wit and fun dialogue Williams allows readers to easily connect to the characters as we are introduced to them. Becca Carey perpetuates this ease through clear and well-paced lettering. Following that up with Asiah Fulmore’s eye for detail adds tremendously to world building with her consistent inclusion of the daily life of black culture via: versatile black hairstyles, facial expressions, bonnets, and durags.
2072 also looks very similar to 2025, but with slight adjustments resolving any questions about the functionality of this time period. Bringing the visuals together is colorist, DJ Chavis’ choice of undertones and hues form amazing, vibrant skin tones.
Final Verdict
Temporal is an unpredictable gem about self acceptance and chasing feels of the past while taking off into the future. Centered around time traveler Savannah, this story brings together an amazing collaborative team and asks the question: Is the true goal the gift or the sentiment? We’ll both have to find out in the second issue of Temporal.
| Criteria | Score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 10.0 |
| Story/Plot | 10.0 |
| Art/Line Work | 10.0 |
| Colors | 9.0 |
| Final Score | 9.8/10 |