Review: Port of Earth #12

Image and Top Cow’s Port of Earth doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not. At its core, it’s a satirical piece that doesn’t bother to hide its metaphors under layers of allegory so that you have to sort it out accordingly and parse what might be the root of everything underneath. I appreciate this. Sometimes allegory is nice, but when it comes to stark truths about the underlying issues, I think it’s best to speak at least somewhat candidly.

Zack Kaplan writes seemingly without pretense. It’s a very simple sort ofÂ sci-fi oriented title that deals with xenophobia against mostly other species. That’s not to say that the unease doesn’t surpass the boundaries of species to overflow into general distrust for humanity, as well, it’s just that – as a whole – a large portion of this title seems to be about the dangers of these prejudices against that which might be foreign to us, in my opinion. Some of you might be immediately put off by this, given the fact that I already mentioned that it’s metaphor for things going on in our own society, but the brilliance of Kaplan’s writing is that it shows there might be some credibility to such when we see how the manipulations or perceived manipulations might make those involved feel. There’s a soft sort of discourse to witnessing it.

The art, by Andrea Mutti with colors by Jordan Boyd and letters by Troy Peteri, reminds me of something akin to a radio transmission. It follows en suite with the theme of the title effortlessly. Colors have an almost Fincher-like wash of yellow and blue to them that makes pages look somewhat aged, if not for some of the alien dialogue being punctuated by purples and reds and otherworldly sharp edges font-wise.

I also must mention that inside this issue, there’s a brief outerlude after Port closes that includes a look into Postal: Deliverance #1 by Bryan Hill and Matt Hawkins. An intensely action packed little peek into what might be going on in the first issue that, sadly, I can’t tell you much about other than it looks like someone is on the run and being pursued by a small group of men who seem to wish ill of him. The art in this small insert is quite lovely. Raffaele Ienco does some really brilliant things with action sequences that make them feel organic; not so much full bursts, but something close to Polaroid snapshots of chases. It’s like watching a private investigator’s evidence board unfold in real time. And the colors, kids. They’re like some sort of trippy psychedelic rainfall that touches all the panels in this preview.

I highly suggest this 4 out of 5 title, if not just because I think the subject matter is important, but also because it’s a intriguing cliffhanger of a read that you’ll find yourself dangling on the edge of. Do you agree?

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Author:Â Zack Kaplan

Illustrator:Â Andrea Mutti
Colors: Jordan Boyd