CREDIT: Dark Horse Comics
Rating: 3.5/5 – Answering the Questions that Prometheus Didn’t Answer?
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
When Prometheus was released in 2012, the movie left viewers with a lot of unanswered questions. It was a visual feast for the eyes, but at times the story left the audience confused with it’s hints at creationism, while tying directly into the more simple yet terrifying universe of the Alien movies. Enter Dark Horse, who for years have published comics based on the Aliens and Predator franchises, and are now bringing the world of Prometheus into their line with a crossover event that will run over the course of six months titled Fire and Stone.
With this first issue of Prometheus, the stage is set and the foundations of the story are laid out. Taking place after the events of Prometheus, a crew aboard the command ship Helios are investigating the infamous moon LV-223, the same planet the Prometheus ship landed on. What they thought would be a barren and desert planet has turned into something more. The art by Juan Ferreyra does a great job with the landscape, setting and creatures, giving the world a look of what we’d come to expect from a world within the Alien Universe. Ferreyra’s creature designs are creepy and smartly designed and the colors all around really add to the alien atmosphere. His human characters can look a little less detailed though, and with the large cast of characters introduced in this opening issue, it’s tough for any of them to stand out.
The story has a slower pace which is to be expected for the opening chapter of an event that will run for over fifteen parts. Writer Paul Tobin takes his time setting up the world and the characters, while also trying to get readers who may not be familiar with the material up to speed. You won’t find a lot of action within this first issue, but you’ll definitely walk away knowing that this slower pace is about to pick up. Tobin will need to place the focus on a smaller number of characters in the subsequent issues though, as there’s no characters that feel memorable from this opening chapter.
This issue has kept my excitement from when this crossover event was first announced. There’s such a rich world to be explored here and adding Prometheus into the stable of titles at Dark Horse is a welcome addition. The pacing may be slow and the action at a minimum, but this serves as a setup to what will ultimately be a multi-issue and multi-title event. If you’re a fan of these franchises, I’d encourage you to give this first issue a try as we hopefully get some answers to the questions that Prometheus the movie left unanswered.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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