Aftershock Comics 2020
Written by Inaki Miranda & Roy Miranda
Illustrated by Inaki Miranda
Coloured by Eva De La Cruz
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
The year is 2084 and the world has changed. Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence. And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space – a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders. This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand – but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Beacon before time runs out.
Okay ya know this is not what i was expecting but then again it usually is and I am always thankful for that. The way that this issue not only introduces us to this world and these characters but it also manages to work as the catalyst as well. We see what happened leading up to the present and it’s done rather remarkably, I think, and I appreciate the humour behind the way it’s brought to life like Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park as they share qualities that oversimplify matters but also bring you the larger picture at the same time.
I rather like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. There is a very unique and natural feel to the way that this is being told. How we see the book structured and how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow highlights how incredibly well this is being written. The character development is charming and it feels less like development and more like learning about new friends. There is a distinct difference in the two methods which quite honestly I am thrilled and surprised to see here. The pacing is wonderful and as it takes us through pages revealing the story, the characters, this world and the twists and turns along the way it lights up your imagination like there’s no tomorrow.
There are so many little things about this that serve to engage your mind and pull you further into the story. What appears to be Chlamydosaurus kingii is delightful and adds that touch of the known with the unknown and I have to admit keeps the charm level really high.
As aforementioned I am loving the interior artwork we are seeing here. Straight away the creativity and imagination that is brought to life and the myriad of styles all on one page just light up the mind beautifully. I love the linework that we are seeing and how the varying weights run the gamut of soft to strong and how they all work together to create the detail work that I am admiring. The way that backgrounds are utilised is phenomenally rendered. They enhance the moments, bring this world to life and provide this depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. I love the colour work we see here as well. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcases a creative and knowledgeable eye for how to get the most out of these combinations.
This is a sensational story, the idea of it, how it’s executed and the way that the story manages to take us on a journey is fabulous. We saw some things, witnessed others and met a very diverse set of characters and all the while we see how our world changed into Life Without Humans while there are still humans there. This is one of the better introductions to a story that I think we’ve had the pleasure to see in a very long time.