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Earth Sons #1
Dark Ocean Studios |
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Before I begin, I thought I would kick off this review by sharing a bit about Dark Ocean Studios, the originator of the Earth Sons series.
Dark Ocean is an independent comic book company founded by Jody Parker. Her company self publishes their titles through Indy Planet and issue #1 of Earth Sons and The Dark Labyrinth (their second series) both went on sale in January.
At first glance, Earth Sons has the look and feel of your standard fare sword and sorcery type title. Upon digging a little deeper, I learned that this is actually the story of our earth, set many generations in the future.
The story takes place well after radiation has sterilize much of the population, resources are becoming increasingly scarce and, for all intents and purposes, the apocalypse has already come and gone. It's a harsh world that favors survival over technology. That said, here it's a bit more Lord of the Rings than Mad Max.
Through the initial chapter in the series, we learn that, long ago, scientist took genes from animals and spliced them with humans in an effort to build a stronger race. A race that might yet survive the dying world. Though the experiments were halted, a full population of part animal / part human hybrids was able to take hold and grow within the culture.
This is a story of poisoned oceans, dead sky and infertile lands that threaten to kill off the human race. One ray of hope emerges in the forum of the Blue. The Blue is a chemical that, when applied to food or water, purifies it. The origins of the chemical are shrouded in mystery, but the unraveling of that mystery may just be the best offer humanity has these days.
This is the world in which the story of Earth Sons is set.
What did I think of the first issue? I found it to be an entertaining first read. I wouldn't call it a standout presentation, but I do think it shows quite a bit of potential. Jody was forced to fit a lot of back story into this first issue in order to offer up the world and the environment in which the tale is told. This can be a bit of a challenge for any writer, but Jody holds her own. That said, this first issue left me feeling as if I needed to read issue #2 before I could form a real impression of the title. It was a good introduction, but we didn't get much beyond the initial handshake in issue #1.
The plot of this first issue is standard fantasy fare. We have two enigmatic strangers meeting for the first time as a quest gets underway. One is your standard lone wolf, rogue-type while the other seems much more noble and quest driven. The second character is a cat-human hybrid which I found to be an interesting choice. The two meet, they clash with local guards and they flee the city. One has been sent to bring the other back and there are hints at a bigger story, but those deeper elements aren't revealed in this issue.
How about the art? It kind of ranges throughout the issue. There are moments that it sings and you could put it right up against many mainstream titles. There are also moments when it falters just a bit and the attention to elements of anatomy could have been a little stronger. Earth Sons art has the feel of a quality artist who is just coming into his own. It's clear that artist Daniel Logan has the chops, he's just refining his style as this series gets underway.
One clear standout is the coloring of Jennifer Steiner. It's is spot on throughout much of the issue (which is full color, cover to cover). Shading and interesting sky effects add to the feel of the dead world issue and allow this colorist to shine. Nice work.
In summary, Earth Sons #1 is a valiant first effort from a start-up indie company. I'm certainly interested enough by the story to return for issue #2 and, at the end of the day, that's the rule against which I judge a title.
Issue #1 of Earth Sons was written and Illustrated by Jody Parker, Daniel Logan, Jennifer Streiner and Jo Hal. You can learn more about the series by visiting www.darkoceanstudios.com and you can find links to purchasing the first issue on the company's ComicSpace page.
