Top Cow Productions/Image Comics 2016
By Raffaele Ienco
In the aftermath of an alien invasion, a prototype military robot is rushed into the field before it is combat-ready. Now attached to a group of survivors, it studies them to learn what it means to be human. Will it come to understand man as a noble creature worth preserving or that the human race isn’t worth saving at all?
Mad respect for Raffaele here. I mean the way this issue opens up is simply gorgeous without words just visuals. The underwater and gecko’s just really have this life and air about them that suck you in immediately. This is the kind of artwork that’s real art. That he doesn’t need words to convey what’s happening is one of the strongest aspects an artist can have. That it takes up the first five pages of sheer visual storytelling was beyond what I could have hoped for. I’m in awe that I could follow what was happening and not need one single word or narration or dialogue.
Though don’t get me wrong because when we get to the dialogue Raffaele isn’t content with simple storytelling. Nope he starts us off with a kind of oral narration of how things came to be, well the publicised version of it anyway. Doctor Burg is interrupted as he practices his speech for a general assembly about his new technology, see weapon, that will change the face of the world in dealing with the Gecko’s.
Enter Iris Renter and she’s about the shake up Dr. Burg’s world in ways he couldn’t possibly imagine. I have to be frankly honest it shook up my world hearing what she had to say as well. Give it up for people who have conspiracy theories, are prone to disbelieve what is being publicly told and for having a penchant to uncover the truth. What we learn here is something that I wouldn’t have anticipated happening and even if I thought it was coming I certainly wouldn’t have pegged it for being this soon.
The other part of the issue focuses on Gibbons and the old man. When we left them they, with Minelli, were being attacked by the Gecko’s. Minelli was hit and it seems that these creatures are there more reasons than we or they can possibly imagine. All the while their new robot guy is just watching, observing and doing absolutely nothing. I love Gibbons reaction to all this as the dialogue really fleshes him more fully as a person. Also the old guy well he too gets a bit more spotlight and I have this sinking suspicion he’s going to play some role throughout the series whether he intends to or not.
I touched on the art earlier but wow. The way this book flows and how incredibly detailed everything, from faces to backgrounds, is really just captures the mind’s eye and imagination. The small subtle things like the colouring or shading are things you take for granted but really spotlight emotions and feelings coming from these characters. Just the amount of realism alone that fills these pages is extremely impressive.
This book breaks the rules and Raffaele just goes wherever the story takes him. It’s like he has a blueprint but the characters themselves dictate when, where and how they show up what ultimately the say and reveal. It’s one twist after another and it’s so good that you don’t even need action/fight scenes to get the adrenaline pumping.
Raffaele is a star and this is his rise to the top of the industry right here.