Extraterrestrials enter Earth’s environment essentially encouraging the expeditious, erroneousness and eventual extinction of everyone.

The new 4-issue series is by creators Andy Diggle, Shawn Martinbrough, Dave Stewart, and Jock. It’ll be available in print and digital editions from ABLAZE, to be distributed in-print worldwide by Diamond Comic and Diamond Book Distributors.

Part 1

Darla Clemenceau gets premonitions about the apocalypse after an alien abduction as a child. However, she’s been prescribed antipsychotic medication so it could’ve been a hallucination. Or was it?
She’s taken hostage by a mysterious man claiming she’s the key to saving Earth. Meanwhile, a team of astronauts question the intentions of their top-secret mission.

The fast-paced story engaged me, wanting to see where it goes. It gives just the right amount of exposition mixed with humour, action, and suspenseful horror elements. Good science fiction horror is hard to come by so this is a pleasant surprise. Darla is a likeable strong protagonist who’s empathic because she’s thrust into a situation she didn’t ask for and I felt her anguish.

The artwork is very detailed. Each character is so expressive with the emotions conveyed. Using different line thicknesses in the faces especially does wonders at showing and not telling how each person feels. The lines indicate depth in the cheeks, around the eyes, and mouths in a way that isn’t usually seen to this extent. The background is also exciting to soak up with its bright colourful pallet. It’s a feast of eye candy for your peepers.

Part 2

Picking up where the first left off, the astronauts face unforeseen occurrences which complicate matters. Darla wakes up on a massive ship off the coast of California. She gets more information from her captor about her past and purpose for being there.

The story structure further develops the plot without ignoring or diminishing the events of the previous installment. I’m invested in the all-around characterization of the cast and the world-building aspects. The mystery is engaging, leaving me wanting answers.

The artwork is on par with the last issue, Darla is the unfortunate victim of circumstance and it’s felt more than ever. She’s hurt, angry, confused, and more. It’s a perfectly appropriate response. The astronauts are shown with a substantial spectrum of emotions. The depictions of space are cinematic in scope while the boat scene is claustrophobic, establishing an outstanding variation in scale.

Part 3

The astronauts carry on the ever-pressing space mission. Meanwhile, Darla tries to figure out more about her past and Earth’s future.

The tension from the horror elements increases with this installment. Character development gets more intriguing when pushed to their limits to reveal their true colours. The plot plays with travelling through space and time in innovative ways to make a classic sci/fi trope feel anew.

The gore is drawn with such severity it’s astonishing. The violence went way past expectations and fantastically so.

Part 4

The truth is finally revealed for both plotlines as the final chapter concludes. With such a build-up of characters and the world, it felt underwhelming and inconclusive. Both story arcs are left open-ended for the possibility of more sequels, a dreadful standard horror attribute. Unfortunately, this diminishes most of the characters’ development because loose ends go on untouched with no definitive sense of finality.

The artwork from start to finish is just as good as prior issues. The vastness of space is beautiful. I like how there isn’t any clear view of the aliens, them being mostly heavily shadowed. This plays into the fear of the unknown exquisitely.

Overall, it has a good combination of humour, horror, and sci/fi with wonderfully rounded characters in a fascinating story exploring existential themes about why we exist and our purpose in the universe. Despite the anticlimactic ending, the road to the conclusion is still gripping. I was fully engaged until the finale. It’s not enough to ruin the experience. I do recommend this. And remember, no one can hear you scream in space…. or Earth if you’re the lone survivor, for that matter.

Grade 8/10