CREDIT: Dark Horse
Rating: 4.5/5 – Protecting the Environment Before The Crash.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall
Brian Wood revisits the cast from The Massive in the time period before the global catastrophe when they were an “environmental rescue unit” calling themselves a Marine Conservationist Direct Action Force. But that’s really a matter of your point of view. Those they take the ‘direct actions’ against would likely consider them to be eco-terrorists.
This series tells “done in one” stories that set up, explore, and resolve a mission. Brian Wood did a great job in this issue providing me with all the information I needed to understand why Ninth Wave was taking action and what they were doing. This was done on two fronts with one team taking action in Berlin while Cal and Mary confront the haughty billionaire industrialist responsible for the problem on his private yacht. Artist Garry Brown (who drew 21 of the 30 issues of The Massive) is back on art and does a wonderful job bringing a feeling of tension to the situations even if it’s just a guy hanging out by a utility truck while a man walks his dog by.
I’ll be up front with the fact that I was pre-disposed to like this, The Massive was one of my “Top 12” series for the majority of its 30 issue run. This issue did not disappoint, if you loved The Massive you’ll love this. If you never read The Massive, this is a great place to jump on and give it a try. Nothing from that other series is needed to read/enjoy this. I loved the “done in one” nature of the story and look forward to this format continuing. People who have never read The Massive can jump right in with this issue and pick it up as it goes along. If you read the Massive, this is like old home week. In particular, since Wood pretty much tapped out his exploration of the post apocalyptic setting from the previous series, it’s quite fun to see the slightly younger versions of the characters interacting with people and situations we can see reflected in the world we’re living in. I’m looking forward to joining Wood for as long as he continues to put out these stories.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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