Brian Wood’s epic post-apocalyptic disaster comic book series “The Massive,” is just that.
A merging of the depth soaked character and story development of Battlestar Galactica and the scale of a flick the likes of “The Day After Tomorrow,” the trade, which combines the first five issues, feels more like full-fledged novel than a comic. It reads slower than your typical trade, but the payoff is ultimately worth it.
The world you once knew is gone. The rules for this broken, beaten and beguiled world haven’t been created yet; you have to make them up as you go along. Behind an assassin turned conservationist’s ship and his crew of colleagues and their own distinct personalities, what you get here is “Whale Wars” meets “The Road.” It may not be a happy-go-lucky tale of self-redemption, but for what it lacks in positive emotions, it makes up for with a daring ingenuity, and characters that never feel forced.
In a weird way, it’s a survival tale that is also champions the human spirit. The crew of the Kapital could have given up their mission months after the world fell into utter chaos. But behind their charismatic and focused leader, they forge ahead and try to preserve the essence of a logical society. They stay goal-oriented and don’t succumb to the devils of a lawless land, most of the time. At its essence, The Massive represents what great minds can do in the worst of times.
The team behind this book has more than a concept. They have as close to a living, breathing world as you can have in a comic book. Behind these believable characters, you have a tale that although deep, will pull you in and take you along. Wood’s status as a scribe of gritty comic book adventure was cemented with DMZ, but The Massive may end up in a category all its own. Smart and serious, Wood crafts a tale that could easily find itself on television one day. Excellent art by Kristian Donaldson put everything in vivid perspective, while The Goon colorist Dave Stewart proves his knack for the palette isn’t reserved for the likes of gun runners and zombies.
It may not feel or even read like a comic book at times, but that’s your own fault for expecting something traditional and conformist from Wood. Dynamic and powerful, Wood, Donaldson and Stewart turn the medium on its head and put it back together than they found it with this tale. All that considered, The Massive begs to be read.
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