Valiant Entertainment 2015
Written by Matt Kindt
Penciled by Trevor Hairsine
Inked by Ryan Winn
Coloured by David Baron
Abram Adams was sent by the Soviets to the farthest reaches of space where he was transformed from what he was, a man, into something else someone with the power of a god and he’s returned to Earth where in the Australian Outback he’s made a small section of paradise. When a being of unknown origin and power arrives the powers that be become scared of his intentions and send Unity to investigate the being known as Divinity.
There really is something just incredibly unique and rare about this story. Granted there is the same old aspect of fear from the unknown coming from the governments but really the focus is Abram and his journey and what he endured while out in space. Matt gives bits and pieces of his journey while we see him on Earth creating a small paradise and remembering his life. Very carefully Matt balances the remembering the man he was and still wishes to be with his new reality. I’m still on the fence on whether or not he’s truly benevolent but I’m waiting as the story to unfold to really decide because there’s still something inside him that’s human and that could be either disastrous or his saving grace.
Trevor, Ryan and David do some absolutely incredible work here. I mean from the space suits, like we’ve never seen before, to the swirling colours of space to the intense detail we see in the characters it’s just some of the most eye catching stuff we see today. I love the use of page layouts and backgrounds here too they work in ways that help keep the focus of the story moving right along.
Aside from the background information about Abram himself this issue focuses on Ninjak too. Now it seems that there is some kind of time displacement powers in play as the meeting with Unity and Divinity goes south very quickly as the group attacks they are sent off on their own away from each other. While we see them in action poses as they attack we also see them going on solo adventures as if they’ve been displaced to wander and survive alone. This could be real time displacement or it could just be mental and that’s the focus of Ninjak’s discovery.
It seems that at some point in his training by undead monk he is able to focus his mind so that he can break free of Divinity’s manipulations. This is just another reason why Ninjak remains one of the most popular characters in the Valiant Universe, his ever growing character development. Even better however is the fact that while we see this we see the moment of transformation when Abram became Divinity. This dual storytelling keeps the information flowing and make us look at what’s going on and try to figure out for ourselves just what kind of powers he now possesses.
The revelation that Abram didn’t go into space alone is huge and the ramifications of what happened to them will be a game changer down the road but in the meantime it’s more of his desire to come home to the pregnant girlfriend he left behind. Pay attention to the story here because the time he’s been in space is told so when we see his family on the last page more questions arise and they too could have a dramatic impact on Abram.
There is such smart storytelling going on here and you have to pay attention to what you are reading or you’ll miss the small clues throughout. This is the kind we love about Matt’s writing too it’s so complex and involved and the characters have sweeping tales that don’t follow a set pattern. Making this another reason why Valiant is on the forefront of great stories.