Rating: 3/5 – Setup Issue With a Great Hook At The End.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall.
Remember disaster movies about a huge asteroid on a collision course with Earth like Armageddon and Deep Impact? Broken World takes that basic premise and adds a special twist that I won’t spoil for you, it makes the first issue.
The strength of the first issue was also is greatest weakness for me. We have a lot of setup, including strong character and world building by writer Frank J. Barbiere. He’s counting down the last couple of days before impact as the last people who have been selected for evacuation are making their way off planet. We focus in on Elena Marlowe who is waiting to leave in the last group with her husband and son as the story jumps around in time between 2 days and a few hours before the predicted impact time. Christopher Peterson’s art told the story but felt a little flat to me, and the lack of background detail in many panels detracted from my enjoyment of the art. One of the key moments in the issue (3 pages from the end) lacked clarity and that detracted from the impact it could have had for me.
Barbiere presents an interesting take on the run-up to the end of the world. A little more orderly than I think it would actually go down, but he stages it nicely. The real trick is going to be the “And Then?” factor. Where he takes the story in the aftermath of the cliffhanger on the last page will make or break the series for me. This might be a good “wait for the trade” series.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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