
Titan Comics 2016
Written by Jerry Frissen
Illustrated by Peter Snejbjerg
Coloured by Delphine Rieu
Translated by Edward Gauvin
THE MOONBASE, 2017. AN ANCIENT SARCOPHAGUS SPLIT OPEN TO RELEASE A TERRIFYING ALIEN CREATURE! IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE CATACLYSMIC EVENT, ALL COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN CUT OFF FROM EARTH. MEANWHILE BACK ON THE HOME PLANET, SCIENTIST ADESH KHAN DISCOVERED THAT THE SARCOPHAGI FOUND ON EARTH HAD BEEN MISINTERPRETED; THEIR MARKINGS WERE NOT IN FACT INSTRUCTIONS, BUT A WARNING... A WARNING OF TERRIBLE EVENTS NOW COMING TO PASS AS MORE OF THE SARCOPHAGI UNLEASHED THEIR PRISONERS. THE ALIENS HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, AND NOW THEY’RE OUT FOR VENGEANCE. AS THE RESEARCH BASE IN FLORIDA ALSO WENT DARK, A MYSTERIOUS MAN NAMED HELIUS PREPARED AN ASSAULT FORCE. HIS ORIGINS AND AGE REMAIN UNKNOWN, BUT HE COULD BE HUMANITY’S ONLY HOPE!
We open up this issue with a look at Helius and his past. It isn’t an origin by any means but it does give us some insight into the man. He’s kind of an enigma and one that has the perfect air about him to intrigue readers. That look at his past plays a nice role in his present though it seems that at the time it’s an odd look. It’s really the structuring of this story that makes me like it all the more. I find the way that it flows giving us bits and pieces here and there, clues if you will, it keeps generating far more interest in the characters who are playing their roles in this drama.
Adesh meanwhile is being held captive by a young woman who has handcuffed him to the steering wheel as she interrogates him along their journey. The characterisation here is nicely done. She comes across as something of a looney tune which makes her incredibly dangerous while Adesh talks about his work and discovery.
It’s in the Florida Everglades that our stories start to merge. With Helius and his people going up against Kharis, one of those aliens who broke free of his sarcophagus, Adesh and his mysterious captor and the discovery of Adesh’s wife Tara. This is a pretty darn good confrontation too. This is science fiction at it’s finest, expect the unexpected and be marveled by what is revealed. It has all these elements that you hope for but never think of before you see them. The kind of imagination and creativity on display through the story here really does go that extra mile and puts the fantasy aspect back into science fiction that we’ve been missing for so long.
Speaking of imagination and creativity the interior artwork is a wonderful example of that as well. The use of page layouts through their angles, perspective and strategic backgrounds really bring us to these moments beautifully. The aliens, the people and the use of cities as scenery and locations really capture the minds eye.
The way this book ends after the confrontation in the Everglades really amps up what the world is going through. It has that sense of doomsday, excitement and the need for a hero to arise and save the day in ways that energise you. This is what the classics used to do to me as a reader and it’s great to see that once again.