Writer: Kyle Higgins & Alec Siegel
Artist: Rod Reis w/Eduardo Ferigato
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Cover: Rod Reis
Publisher: Image Comics
The action is ratcheted up as this vivid sci-fi mystery approaches its conclusion.
All the creators of this book have done an excellent job of presenting the year 2085 as a realistic, drab, space-colonized possibility. There are no aliens, space casinos or laser guns (do you know what those would do to the hull of a spacecraft?!) just a research ship full of regular people. People who mostly do horrible things to each other. Not so different from our time, really.
This issue is chock full of resolution. Not only do we get the follow up to last issue’s reveal about who murdered Edward, we find out nearly all the particulars that lead to the current circumstances. All of that is packed in with multiple pages of the research team wrestling back control of their ship from the Theta rebels. I’ve been enjoying this series, but it has been a slow burn, so a bit of intensity is appreciated. There’s a fight outside the ship, in zero G, that had some brutal moments I haven’t seen done quite so well, even in film.
My only detraction from this issue is that the art changed so drastically. Rod Reis drew and coloured the first five issues himself, then Eduardo Ferigato came on the last one to help. They’re both credited here, but I feel like I’m seeing mostly Ferigato. He’s an incredible penciller with kinetic art as well, but Reis has such a unique style it just didn’t feel as sharp as previous issues. My best guess is that Reis may have done the colours and perhaps a few pages, so it isn’t too jarring, just noticeable. I know Reis is busy on Marvel’s “Secret Empire” event, but I personally wouldn’t have minded waiting a few extra months so that it could have been one cohesive collection.
Even with the shift in art, this was one of my favourite issues of the series. Full of both action and development, it fleshes out the backstory of several characters. I’m sorry this book only has one chapter left, but hopefully we’ll see more from this creative team in the…future?
Overall: 8/10
New England born and raised, it didn’t take long for Adam Kubert’s “Wolverine” covers, early 90’s Image Comics and Marvel trading card sets to infect my brain. Consuming all things comic, video game, and cartoon-related, I’ve always had the drive to create worlds of my own, becoming a digital designer, a music producer/performer and a flourishing writer. Some of my earlier work can be found at smartassortments.com
