Title: H2O (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Grant Calof and Eric Eisner (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: lifesend (Don't click it, read the review here... )
Review:
- H20 is the latest original graphic novel (64 pages) from Liquid Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, a sci-fi adventure tale set in 23rd century Earth, where all the nations in the world are on the brink of collapse due to a lack of water on the planet. The book opens up with a series of pages chronicling "the great draught", with clean and vibrant illustrations of baron landscapes and toppled cities. We learn that an attempt by a scientist to create rain not only fails, but creates worse conditions for the planet by destroying the evaporation cycle. Periodic radiation storms occur as an additional result, setting architecture and people ablaze, which is nicely portrayed by artist Jeevan J. Kang. The southern hemisphere is eventually abandoned and the world is divided into three nations, the North American Union (USA, Mexico, Canada), the Allied International Union (Greenland, Europe, Ukraine), and the United Socialist Republic of China (all of Asia and Russia).
This brief intro leads us to the present, when a NASA scientist discovers that there is a glacier in the Andes, buried deep beneath a volcano. He and others are sent to the site to test and capture the water, but unbeknownst to them, the USRC has been spying on them and they as well send a team to obtain the water. These two teams eventually meet and what happens afterwards you'll have to read for yourself.
STORY - The story isn't so great as to deserve a 5, but it has a number of good, interesting ideas that would have earned it a 4, however there were a few problems that caused me to give it a 3. Given the length of this OGN, characterization is expected to be minimal, but we do get a glimpse into some of the characters' pasts, the majority being of the protagonist. I can accept this, but there were some actions by a couple of characters that left me wanting to know more about their motivations. There were also times when the story seemed rushed, particularly towards the end. It didn't greatly affect my enjoyment of the story, but it is an unfortunate consequence of telling a story like this in only 64 pages. Other than these two criticisms, the story was solid and it'd be remiss not to mention that the opening pages were really well done, setting up the world and how it came to be as it is. If you like sci-fi, you may enjoy the story, but don't expect much in terms of characterization or a smoothly flowing narrative.
ART - The art is the best part of the book, particularly shots of destroyed cities and once-oceans with destroyed, abandoned ships. All the characters have a unique look, which is always greatly appreciated. I really liked the coloring as well, especially of the scenes where radiation storms plague cities and send people and buildings up in flames. My only real problem with the art is that at times it's a bit inconsistent, but not greatly so, and many times the acting and motion can come across as stiff. Other than that, I really enjoyed the look of the book and the cover is also really nice, with an excellent layout of New York, with really nice, ominous, yet optimistic coloring.
LETTERING - This'll be brief, but at times the reader has to go from the far left of a panel and read a balloon, then the next balloon is at the far right of the panel, followed by another in the far left. It doesn't exactly flow very well all the time, although it is rather clear which balloon to read next.
FINAL WORD - I recommend the book to fans of realistic Earth-based science fiction, but if you don't fall into this category, I don't know if you'll enjoy the book much. It definitely starts off more strongly than it ends, but it is enjoyable throughout and when I finished I was ultimately satisfied with my purchase.
More info:
- Story by Grant Calof, Eric Eisner
Art by Jeevan Kang
Cover by Jeevan Kang
Publisher Dynamite Entertainment
Post rewarded by Ojay on Aug 10th, 2011, 6:19 pm. |
5 WRZ$ reward as announced in Comics News. Nice reviewed. Thanks! |