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Review: Lords of the Cosmos #1

Nemesis

Being a child of the eighties, I thought I was fairly up to date on the decade which encapsulated my transition from child to young adult.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that once upon a time there was a toy line by Ugli Studios called The Lords of the Cosmos.  This toy line possessed a Masters of the Universe sensibility, albeit with a decidedly more dangerous and dark tone.  My surprise was compounded when I found out that the owner of Ugli Studios, Jason Lenox, released a comic book about this universe a few years ago.  The success of those books led to a Kickstarter campaign to produce further books chronicling fate of Aiden and it’s would be master Umex. That long journey has led to the creation of Lords of the Cosmos #1, an incredible book that has endeared me to this universe and the unfolding tale of good and evil it presents.

Lords of the Cosmos follows an anthology format, with a collection of stories written and drawn by various teams.  The first story, ‘Umex Rising’,  details the current state of the Planet Aiden.  Beset by peace, yes that is the right word, the planet has grown fat and lazy.  This, in turn, has led to the return of the great evil Umex, lord of decay.  Umex, intent on conquering and dominating the planet, summons his minions to his side.  This story serves as an introduction to this universe for those who are not familiar with it.  The detail and backstory for each of these evil beings is evident in the writing and detailed art.  After familiarizing the reader with the universe and it’s antagonists, the main plot-line which will we will follow in subsequent issues, is introduced.  This plot-line, namely the grand plan of Umex to dominate and decimate the planet Aiden, is presented in a classic ‘bad guy’ style reminiscent of the Saturday morning cartoons of my youth.  This is a style the creative team chose deliberately and one I appreciate.  No angst ridden ulterior motives here, the bad guys of Lords of the Cosmos are evil for evil’s sake.

The proceeding stories then present a more detailed examination of Umex’s various lieutenants.  The first of these, ‘Eyes of the Machine’,  is a short glimpse into the sadistic evil of  Bonesaw.  In the story, Bonesaw stalks and eventually slaughters a bio-wizard tasked with inspecting and maintaining The Great Machine, which is the life’s blood of the planet Aiden.

‘Betrayal in the Mystic Lands’ is an origin story for the demonic Cy-Corn.  Originally the unicorn Horn-Spire, Cy-Korn was condemned and exiled from the Great Green for coveting power and dominion over the mystical creatures residing there.  Horn-Spire sought out Umex and begged for power to subjugate his enemies.  Umex, being a lord of decay, grants his wish in the only way he knows how; transforming Horn-Spire into the tortured vision of death, Cy-Corn.

Finally, there is ‘Tales of the Night Sea’.  This tale chronicles two simple fishermen, a man and his son, fishing on the ebon waters of The Night Sea.  As they discuss what lives below and the history of the deep, both of them are ambushed and killed by the monstrous Shredtooth.

Lords of the Cosmos is a pleasure to read.  The book is rendered entirely in black and white.  However, I found I did not notice the lack of color a few pages in as the vibrancy of the stories and characters more than filled the gap.  The artwork is incredible, a master class in pencil and ink.  Each panel is beautifully rendered and I was enthralled from the very first page turn because of it.  Meanwhile, the writing on this book clearly demonstrates that this is a labor of love.  The time spent building this world and its characters is par excellence.  I can not recommend this book and this series highly enough.  I intend to follow this book myself and I hope you will follow suit.

Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 5 of 5 Stars

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Original Concept – Jason Lenox
Character Creation – Jason Lenox, Dennis Fallon, Jason Palmatier

‘Umex Rising‘

Writing – Dennis Fallon, Jason Palmatier
Pencils – Jason Lenox
Ink – D.F. Marin
Letters – Dave Sharpe

‘Eyes of the Machine‘

Writing – Dennis Fallon
Pencils – Joe Fristuhler
Ink – Joe Fristuhler
Letters – Dave Sharpe

‘Betrayal in the Mystic Lands‘

Writing – Jason Palmatier
Art – Zach Brunner
Letters – Dave Sharpe

‘Tales of the Night Sea‘

Writing – Dennis Fallon
Art – Dave Newbold
Letters – Dave Sharpe

Physical Copies of Lords of the Cosmos 1 & 2 for sale at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LenoxArtEmporium

Digital Copies of Lords of the Cosmos #1 are for sale at https://www.comixology.com/Lords-of-the-Cosmos-1/digital-comic/707802

Digital Copies of Lords of the Cosmos #2 are for sale at https://www.comixology.com/Lords-of-the-Cosmos-2/digital-comic/709963

Author Profile

Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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