Very engaging science fiction that sets up strong story possibilities with style and economy. The planet Arin has been devastated, those in power have fled to a floating city, those left behind are scavengers on the remains of the industrial past. Aidan is a scavenger who is not all he seems, Caleb is a prince in the floating city who is also not all he seems. Aiden finds something, someone else finds out about the discovery and the story gears are fully engaged. This is a lovely mash up, a fairy tale written as sciemnce fiction where the essential elements of both are beautifully put together to make a very enjoyable mix.
Any first issue as a significant and difficult task to accomplish, establish the story, the context, the cast and to get enough action to entice the reader to want to know more. Scavenger 01 accomplishes all of this with confident skill. The story and the context are set up with great economy, the key background items are provided with sufficient detail to make sense and quickly enough so that the story can get going.
After the context and background the story itself is set up really impressively. There is a tremendous amount of information being delivered, the pace is never forced or slowed down. The story just unfolds in an very natural way just as it should to bring the reader to the vital stage at the end of the comic. The cast are slightly secondary to the information and the needs of the set up, they are still given a chance to be themselves. Caleb gets more room than Aidan, anger is going to stand out more clearly than calmness at first, Aidan is given sorrow which can be more powerful ultimately than anger. The final panel is proof that cliches become cliches because they work.
Megan Huang’s page layouts are great, a strong variety of sizes and shapes controls the flow of the story and concentrates reader attention where she wants it to go. The art is angular and sharp, the cast are distinctive and move with great force and physical impact. In a close up the facial expressions are meaningful and express the character strongly.
I am knocked out by the clouring. In any science fiction comic colour is a critical element, in Scavenger the colours create an alien context that supports the action beautifully. Some of the panels have sharp background details, sometimes Megan Huang uses a solid block of colour only. This is a really confident choice, the colour has to capture and frame the action perfectly or else it will read in an off key way. These panels just work fantastically, they are really expressive and give a really strong signature to the comic and boost the story.
The lettering is subtle and clean, the sound effects loud and strong.This is a great start to a interesting story that has great possibilities.
Chief Wizard Note: This is a review copy kindly sent by Kim Roberts. You can purchase a copy, (which you should as excellent science fiction comics are know for their vast healing powers,) here https://www.comixology.co.uk/
