Valiant Entertainment 2016
Written by Matt Kindt
Penciled by Trevor Hairsine
Inked by Ryan Winn
Coloured by David Baron
Lettered by Dave Lanphear
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union—determined to win the
Space Race at any cost—green-lit a dangerously advanced mission.
It sent three Cosmonauts further into space than anyone before. Lost in the
stars, they encountered something Unknown. Abram Adams–one of the three–
came into contact with it. The Unknown changed him and gave him the ability
to bend matter, space, and even time to his will. He became Divinity.
He returned to Earth, where he was viewed as a threat, and was ultimately
imprisoned by MI-6 and the forces of the west.
Abram abandoned his two co-pilots in space. One of them--
Myshka—has now also returned to Earth.
An orphan hardened by a childhood spent on the streets of Moscow, she
has returned to modern-day Russia and is appalled by what she sees.
Also imbued with incredible powers, Myshka is determined to return Russia
to its former glory, and she transforms the country into a military
and economic juggernaut.
When MI-6 discovers Myshka is responsible for turning Russian
into the world’s lone superpower, they enlist Abram to confront her.
Coming face-to-face, Myshka opens Abrams’s eyes to the future to come.
Raised in a time when the Soviet Union was still in the cold war Myshka doesn’t know how to react to the present. Abram she sees as her enemy and her mortal mind with the powers of a god cannot see the forest for the trees. What Matt is doing here not only with the story itself but through the characters and characterization is beyond amazing. I mean so much depth and meaning and forcing someone to really look at themself isn’t an easy thing to do. Myshka is so conditioned by the world she grew up in and what see saw as a betrayal in space has shaped who this person she currently thinks she is.
OH my stars and garters what Trevor is doing here is equally as amazing. The layout of this book that flows and is influenced, quite literally, by the story is genius. The way he demonstrates the walk through time in panels, or talks about words on a page in a book and how he translates that is the stuff of dreams to see. With a great team behind him the inks & colours make this a truly memorable experience.
This is one of the more powerful issues I’ve ever seen from Matt, and considering his vast library of work that’s quite a feat. I have no idea how next issue will go, if Abram has been able to reach Myshka at all but it’s going to be tremendous I just know it. These two with the power of god’s living in a world with superheroes and untrusting governments gives them an uncertain future. It’ll be interesting to see where Matt takes this. Also if the man they left behind did indeed die or managed to be transformed as well is still up in the air to me. So much hope, potential and realized greatness comes from this series.