Aftershock Comics 2018
Written by Zac Thompson
Illustrated by Andy Clarke
Coloured by Jose Villarrubia & Dan Brown
Lettered by Charles Pritchett
A perfect future of intergalactic travel and community. Every newly discovered planet is unified culturally through a monolithic structure known as the Galactic Relay. Although the towering monument is meant to inspire conformity of ideas, technology, and progress – many resent the foreign structure. Jad Carter, a Relay employee, must keep the peace and act as an emissary to new civilizations. But when he finds the Relay’s mythological creator, Hank Donaldson, his idea of reality and the universe shatters.
Aftershock isn’t afraid to rock the boat and they do it in such a way that feels so cutting edge and ahead of the curve. There is something about the premise of the story and how it’s presented to us that captures the mind and imagination in a way that feels like an extension of life right now. Mankind has since it’s existence tried to assimilate other cultures so that there would be one man to rule. Hence all the wars, usually over religion or started by religion (I am looking at you Catholic Church) in that attempt to sanitise the world and make ruling over the populace easier. So while to some extent that’s been done here, so long as man retains free will or the illusion thereof there will always be dissent.
Alright so political correctness aside, something I am not in my everyday life because I call it like I see it, even the strongest premise needs a well written story behind it. Zac has very quickly emerged as one of today’s most provocative writers. Fearless in his adaptation of not only the world but those who inhabit it make what we see and feel emanating from these pages feel so much more authentic.
Someone had to create Relay right that’s a given and the popular theory is that it’s this Hank Donaldson person. Only thing is he supposedly died three hundred years ago and any remnants have been lost to the annuls of time. That doesn’t stop the colonised worlds, see assimilated, from being indoctrinated into his ways as the belief system that Relay enforces is brought to each new world. Interestingly enough only on worlds where this has happened are there rumour's regarding Hank Donaldson, no where else. It is like trying to find Atlantis and to explain why we live the way we do.
OH Sweet Child of Mine! Andy, Jose and Dan this is the kind of work even Yogi passes a pic-a-nic basket to see. The linework and how it has been manipulated so that it shows off this seriousness in the buildings, plants and people versus the crazy sign logo’s everything has this kind unique look and feel depending on what it is. Such talent on display it really is Crazy Good! The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective n the panels shows off this simply amazing eye for storytelling. Usually this is the part when I talk about wanting to see more backgrounds being utilised but I get why they aren’t which thankfully isn’t the norm and seeing so much work put into making this a visually stunning, expanding the story and enhancing the characterisation is a godsend.
This is a perfect introduction to the series, if you didn’t read the FCBD edition which there is almost no excuse for. We meet the three main characters and get some really strong characterisation on them so that we see a “trinity” in play and how we see these vastly different personalities and how they will play off one another. The story itself has been set with a specific goal but is still open ended after that depending on what is or isn’t found. Strap in kiddies this isn’t your parents version of the future there is no Jetson’s instead this is the version of the future from your grandchildren and their point of view and it doesn’t look pretty!