Review: FCBD Relay #0
Free Comic Book Day sees the prequel of a new AfterShock book, Relay, which is heralded as part The Fifth Element and part Philip K. Dick. Throw in some 2000 AD: A Space Odyssey and you might get an idea of what to expect from Messrs Thompson, Bromberg, Cates with art provided by Andy Clarke.
A weary traveller lands on a primitive planet and makes inroads, building trust with the locals and after time, each begin to learn from each other. The primitives are led by a local shaman whose trust in the stranger leads him to a monolith; a monolith that serves to  promote inspire conformity of ideas, technology, and progress; a grand idea to be sure, but one that carries with it the distrust of the indigenous race, which it seeks to help, whether they want it or not. Still the monolith can wait, it has all the time in the world.
Zac Thompson has had quite a year; I have read a number of his books and enjoyed them immensely. Here, he is taking a step away from his normal writing partner Lonnie Nadler, instead partnering with fellow Marvel writer Donny Cates and Eric Bromberg. As I have said before, I am always wary of writing by committee, with Thompson’s quality I am willing to give him a pass and some of Cates work has been fun. Between the trio, the story takes some time to get some traction. Remembering that this is a prequel allows for the pace to develop and hint at thing rather than screaming them out loud.
The art is by Andy Clarke who delivers the type of quality that you would have come to expect, if you have been following his work. The sci-fi elements suit Clarke well with alien landscapes and features to play with allowing for a level of creativity that you may not be used to from Clarke, if all you know is his mainstream art. Colors are provided by Dan Brown who gives space an almost new frontier in addition to the various landscapes that we get to investigate.
Free Comic Book Day is a great way to try new books form publishers that may have escaped your notice due to the event books that seem to clutter the rack and threaten your wallet. Whilst for some companies the day may be thought of as free advert day, do you really need to pick up a book that promotes Batman or Avengers. Do those guys actually need the advert? So this FCBD, go outside your normal trends and try something new.
Writing -Â 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Zac Thompson, Donny Cates & Eric Bromberg
Art by; Andy Clarke
Colors by;Â Dan Brown
Published by: AfterShock Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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