Fishflies #6: The Backstory

Fishflies continue to get crunched all across Belle River. A giant bug lurks nearby. And young Paul Dupuis’ life hangs in the balance. Finally in Fishflies #6 the history that might explain it all is revealed.

Fishflies #6 reaches far back into the past and follows the Murphy family as they settle in the town of Belle River. The flashback is made possible when Helen Dupuis visits her fortune teller friend. The flashback to the Murphy family reveals the origin of the bug and its connection to the fishflies.

Fishflies has dabbled in the occult here and there, largely by way of Helen Dupuis, but Fishflies #6 dives hard into it as a way of revealing the origin of the bug transformation. This history no doubt factors into the story’s resolution in the next issue. But it is delivered in a very convenient, almost writer’s hand kind of way. The series hasn’t provided any real foreshadowing for this backstory, and the very sudden and heavy exposition stops the series’s momentum dead in its tracks. Even within the issue, the middle section of the flashback exposition slows progression to a crawl.

However, given that the flashback exposition is necessary, there are redeeming qualities to look at. In the abstract, the story is interesting–slow at points but interesting. The bulk of it is so divorced from the modern day events that it can drive curiosity for the larger circumstances. Why does Biddy seem so opposed to settling in this place? What is the larger backstory of the Byrne family? If the modern day Fishflies story wasn’t going on, it might be interesting to further examine this story, especially any larger consequences of its ending.

The more significant way that Fishflies #6’s exposition ties to the present day story is the location of Bobby’s gunshot wound. It appears to be in the exact same place as Paul Dupuis’ wound. And it’s also the same place that Lee was shot. These similarities do invite speculation over whether the wound itself is significant and if it will lead to anything in the final issue.

Lemire’s art in Fishflies features hard angles, especially characters’ jawlines and cheekbones. It leaves some characters, such as Helen Dupuis, with particularly rough and harsh features. It works to a point in Helen’s case given the nature of the story but not always as well with others.

A different artist handles the flashback sequence in Fishflies #6, and it is a significant departure. Characters are softer and their features somewhat rounder. Likewise shading and contrast choices aren’t dependent on thick black lines. Presumed light sources are easier to track. In an overall sense the art in the flashback is more organic. The contrast between the two styles serves the issue very well. While it does contribute to the sense of curiosity about the larger events in that time period, it makes the events feel real rather than a potential fever dream from Helen Dupuis.

Wands’ choices for sound effects in the flashback sequence feels softer in the same way that the art does. They all have a watercolors quality, as though the letters were cut out of a page painted in watercolors and then inserted into this setting.