Rating: 3.5/5 – An enigmatic and intriguing story
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Adam Alamo.
Aliens landed on Earth ten years ago and silently “planted” their ships on our soil like giant, looming trees. This is what happens next. At least I think they’re ships. You never know with writer Warren Ellis, whose work I’ve heard described as “really weird.” Weird or not, with a premise like that and a writer like him, how can anyone not be intrigued enough to try out this book?
This opening jaunt finds four separate stories from around the world, detailing how these alien “trees” have affected the populace in the last ten years. They haven’t moved at all and have made no attempt at contact. Yet their presence has had a profound impact. The first two stories transition into each other flawlessly, from our first introduction to the aliens to a scenario eerily reminiscent of post 9/11 New York City. I was really digging the book to that point. Then the remaining two stories fell flat, with no transition at all. It felt like I was suddenly reading a different comic. The strong narration that begins on the first page also sputters out halfway through, until I didn’t even know what was going on. Simply put, I didn’t find the second half of the issue nearly as interesting as the first. Still, my curiosity was piqued enough that I want to pick up the next chapter just to see where it leads. Jason Howard’s art complimented the story perfectly and I especially liked his use of color. His art is something I will look forward to in future issues.
Sprinkled throughout this story, you’ll find the usual fare of futuristic world building. I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, which served to further pique my interest in the book. I suspect that with this story we are in for the long haul before finding answers to the many mysteries, which means that the many loose threads introduced will ultimately be pulled together, but not too soon. I am not against this type of story telling, but I think as a stand-alone issue the overall narrative could have been tightened up. Nevertheless, this first outing was enigmatic and intriguing enough that I’ll stick around a while.
Reviewed by: Adam Alamo
(adam@comicspectrum.com)
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