DPM Publishing 2017
Written by Stephan Nilson
Illustrated by Doug Shuler
Lettered by Charles Pritchett
Well with Agent 1.22 out of communication everyone at home base starts to panic because they have no idea what’s going on. Though with common human thinking it seems that the worst case scenario is always the one jumped to first. In this case as Matt tries to re-establish a link with Mnemosyne his boss comes in wanting a full briefing.
Actually what Stephan does here is both expected and outside the box thinking. By that I mean that Matt’s characterisation here is beyond what I was expecting and his interaction with Director Kalter is both annoying and fun at the same time as well. So yes the Director goes to the thought process that there’s nothing wrong with Mnemosyne and it’s all Agent 1.22’s fault that this occurrence is happening which is small-minded management thought process. Let’s face it, it could never be something that is happening there it has to be the Agent’s fault is what we expect of them and their thinking process. So Stephan nails the Director’s personality and mindset rather nicely.
While I understand the amount of time spent at wherever home base is located because the stage has to be set and the cast expanded so we can learn more about the origins of Agent 1.22. Although I really wish we’d spent more time on Mnemosyne because that’s where all the action and interesting story bits take place. Still it’s nice to see that at least someone back there has her back even if he’s the most annoying man in the universe. Oh and someone get Matt a haircut stat, that Fabio hairstyle is pretty darn bad.
So now on Mnemosyne that woman who is in control and wanting the Agent destroyed I want to know more about her, what she’s after and what she did to those on board. I mean it looks like they’ve been infected with something and have turned all zombie like but I can’t be sure. Though they have been corrupted in some way they are mindless slaves now only her bidding and I gotta say that we don’t know as much is what’s going to keep people coming back to see what happens. Still a naked robotic Agent fighting on a station for her existence it’s damn compelling reading, if your a straight man.
Part of me is in love with the interior artwork and part of me is not. Half the time there’s no sense of feeling to it, like there are a bunch of actions figures photographed and put on the page. Okay sure computer animation or illustration has come a long way that’s for sure but outside Agent 1.22 things just are completely stiff even the hair feels plastic. Then when our beloved Agent is in action there we see how movement should look and feel because it’s like has had more attention to it. So there is a big disconnect between when we see her and when we don’t. The way the page layouts are used are well done with the angles, perspective and even backgrounds that we see and the eye for storytelling is there.
Stephan has a few surprises in store for us here and they extend beyond the opening introductions. I really enjoyed seeing how that plays out here too. The unexpected new supporting cast along with the revelations that we get are superb. Stephan knows how to structure and pace a good solid story. it’s no surprise to me that the way the story plays out is exactly how it should and while we all have our preferences on what we’d like the see the way he’s able to bring the ebb & flow to us is fantastic.
There’s so much still left to learn about this universe and about Agent 1.22. We get a mystery that isn’t one and an outer space horror/drama/thriller that rivals anything in the Alien franchise, which is saying a helluva lot. This is why I love self-published or small indie books it’s simply able to let creators unleash.