In a far off time and space, a tyrannical force looks to control the galaxy and destroy anything that stands in their way.
Cover by Rags MoralesWritten by Jim Starlin
Illustrated by Rags Morales
Colored by Hailey R. Brown
Lettered by Michael HeislerIn a distant galaxy, a space opera unfolds where the forces of good and evil struggle for control over various planets and their inhabitants…and those inhabitants’s genes. Whoever gains full control will either spread peace or dominance over everything in the region.
Comic book legends Jim Starlin and Rags Morales team up to create a new science fiction and fantasy epic, but does this story do anything new with this kind of material? Is it the best use of these two creators? There is little that is clear or enjoyable with the storytelling in this first issue of the four issue miniseries. Gene manipulation, an evil empire, rebellious freedom fighters, and more take up space in this mediocre sci-fi adventure. Using the placement of three separate timelines to jump through various characters and events Starlin attempts to beef up the story, but in doing so he only complicates matters by not giving us enough clarity on when these are happening. Now, Then, and Before are as clear as things get, but how much time is supposed to be between them? Who knows? If it is going to be revealed later, that’s fine, but this doesn’t feel like it is setting up a big reveal or twist. It’s just lazy and makes reading it less interesting and more frustrating. I found this to be so uninteresting that I find myself at a loss to even finding the words to discuss the plot and will look at it strictly from the technical side.
Rarely do I find that an older comic book creator can re-capture the magic and stick the landing when it comes to crafting a new story, world, or character, and unfortunately Starlin gets lumped in with that with “Order and Outrage.” Borrowing from every sci-fi and space fantasy story to come before. Not only did I find my mind wandering while reading this very typical length comic, but I had to flip back a few pages to make sure I did not miss something. Nothing about it held my interest, it all feels so pedestrian. Every story has been told before, we know this, so if you’re going to make something new that owes a lot to the past, it really needs to get us interested and wanting to invest in the characters and their journey. In terms of story, this never does anything that truly worthy of our time. The ideas at play have been mainstream for so long, and are simply outdated without giving them some special oomph to get them over that hurdle.
Even Rags Morales’s illustrations are some of his weakest work that I have seen. He’s never been one of my favorite artists, but he has done some stellar work over the years, especially on “Superman” and “Hawkman.” This feels like leftovers from “The Amory Wars.” He does some nice staging of characters and set dressing and there are a few interesting moments at play with the use of panels and page spreads, but otherwise, it definitely isn’t something that people will talk about when they bring up Morales’s body of work. The color work by Hailey Brown is quite good and gives plenty of vibrancy and pop to the illustrations, but at the same time, the work overall still feels a bit flat and muddy. She is new to comic book scene, only having worked on this and the first issue of Dynamite’s “Turok,” but I look forward to seeing where she goes next after this. Michael Heisler brings his expertise to lettering the book and does the best he can with what he’s given. His work does look good, and the design choices are made to fit the book perfectly.
I decided to review this comic because it sounded intriguing from the basic plot synopsis and didn’t even know who was working on it until I picked it up to read. Seeing Jim Starlin’s name on the cover absolutely boosted by hopes for something original, or at the very least interesting, but neither of those adjectives have come to pass. I do not enjoy reviewing a comic so harshly, and rarely have over the years as I tend to find something I like in almost everything I read, but I have no desire to give this another read, nor to find out how this story ends.
Final Verdict: 3.0, There is nothing new here and seeing names like Starlin and Morales struggle to make this interesting by over-complicating a mostly simple story within this sci-fi adventure makes the read all the more unbearable.
