Very engaging and enjoyable dystopian science comic. After The Altering, worldwide event that destroyed nature, unleashed monsters and left humans to survive, the battle for survival is relentless. On the edge of the Hotspot, the Vultures, an outlaw motorcycle gang have a significant problem. A new power player has disrupted their supply agreement and they have decided to attack his train to get what they need. The assault does not go well and the consequences are ferocious.
Any first issue for an series has a lot of work to do in a very short space and The Nomad 1 manages to do it all and make it look easy. The context is briefly set up and then expanded in action as the assault on the train gives a chance to give vivid details about the state of the world and introduce some of the cast.
Bill Stoddard writes with wonderful confidence and economy, the story moves very fast without ever being rushed. There is enough detail and time taken with the cast to make sure that the cliffhanger confrontation has impact.The cast have tremendous energy and a vivid life about them, the struggle to survive is hard and they are determined. The problems the human cast face are genuinely life threatening, the fight is going to be a bitter and engaging one.
The design of the Altered world is pitch perfect, the story is partly an updated classic western, robbing a moving train, a lone storekeeper and a man coming in from a desert. The motorbikes replace horses seamlessly and it gives the story a nice familiarity. When the residents of the Hotspot are introduced a equally classic science fiction framing is used to great affect. The creatures are suitably monstrous, the leader is clearly a force to be reckoned with. The confrontation between they two elements is handled beautifully, both merge perfectly to create a tremendous outcome.
Stan Yak’s art is superb, he delivers ferocious action, close up hand to hand combat managed by smart panel placement and organization, big reveals and quiet moments with equal conviction. The cast fit into their context and move through it with natural ease, the mix of humans and monsters never seems out of scale or awkward, both are clearly inhabiting the same space.
Robert Nugent’s colours are a joy, they capture the western and the science fiction undertones of the story with ease and held bind everything together when they clash. The colours bring out the subtle details of the writing and the art, they give the emotional context of the story a chance to be heard without ever stopping the action.
Dave Sharpe’s lettering is a pleasure to read, the narration boxes are framed smartly, the dialogue is shaped to the character of the cast.
Nomad 1 succeeds as a first issue, it introduces the reader to an engaging story and finishes on a compelling cliffhanger. What a fun read.
