Boom! Studios 2016
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Jakub Rebelka
Lettered by Thomas Mauer
Jordan Molossus was asked to take both his father’s ashes to where they met and release them. This just happens to be on Ektae, the other world that aligns with Earth which lasts for seven days at a time. He had to cross over illegally and was instantly caught and arrested. Jordan also has a history on the planet of one of his fathers and it’s not exactly stellar. So can he find his way to the spot where his father’s met and fulfill this wish? Not of if the locals have anything to say about it.
We open up with Jordan getting his mug shot and honestly I don’t think I’d mind being involved in doing that. I mean naked as a jaybird and the shot itself like some kind of weird x-ray how awesome is that?! As if that weren’t enough he is allowed one phone call and the look on the faces around him and the questions around it well yeah there’s a story here!
So in the course of this issue we learn why he avoided coming back here for so long and what transpired to motivate him to leave. As Jordan makes his escape and P. Talason learns of it more questions arise mainly is he that picture of the man there with him actually him? Also what actually transpired to make him hate Jordan so much aside from him punching him? There’s a history here that is only being touched upon and I can’t for Steve to explore that more fully. What is abundantly clear is that P. Talason is the big kahuna here and what he offers every cutthroat in town for Jordan’s dead body well that’s going to make things tough for Jordan to deal with.
I love a world where Jordan can find a couple and introduce himself and then the aftermath of a threeway is suggested. That kind of openness and pure joy of physical action should be the norm everywhere in my humble opinion.
Steve’s pacing of this story is nicely done. I like that the action is fast and furious and the issue ends with the completion of his quest for a funeral for his father’s and ends up being something else entirely, the identity of his other father that he thought was dead. Suddenly he’s got a new reason to keep going here and that will be fun to see play out.
The interiors here are fun, bright and well done. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and backgrounds flesh out this world beautifully. There’s a great sense of futuristic and older 90’s feel going on here that make for an interesting blend. The art looks almost simple and yet complex at the same time and the colouring is superb. Plus there’s just something about the way Jordan looks that makes him an ideal leading man.
I have to say Steve kind of surprises me with this story. What seemed like a simple story of fulfilling a last wish has turned into this crazy Mad Max-esque journey of finding family and the answers to questions he didn’t know he had. Now I cannot wait for next issue even more than I was looking forward to this one!