In 2017, BioWare relaunched the Mass Effect series with Mass Effect: Andromeda, which chronicled the Andromeda Initiative’s colonization of our nearest galaxy. The game, which was conceived as a way of moving the saga forward without canonizing one of the many endings for the third game, ultimately underperformed, meaning there were no DLCs or direct sequels. Perhaps consequently, Dark Horse’s “Mass Effect: Discovery” became the last tie-in comic from the publisher to date, and it proves to be a bittersweet final outing, as it’s easily one of their strongest entries.
Written by Jeremy Barlow, John Dombrow, Mac WaltersCover by Gabriel Guzmán
Art by Gabriel Guzmán
Colored by Michael Atiyeh
Lettered by Nate PiekosA young Turian military recruit goes undercover in order to infiltrate the mysterious Andromeda Initiative — and ultimately retrieve a scientist who’s made a potentially devastating discovery. Tying in to BioWare’s sci-fi video game Mass Effect: Andromeda, this is the next essential chapter of the Mass Effect comics series! Collects Mass Effect: Discovery #1–#4.
The plot revolves around the disappearance of quarian Initiative scientist Shio’Leth vas Novarra, who discovered the geth had found a way to survey suitable planets in the Andromeda galaxy in real-time (in spite of the millions of light-years between it and the Milky Way.) On his trail are the undercover turian agent Tiran Kandros, and his human partner Luna Shanks, as well as salarian biotic Olan Kooth, who believes the “geth’s” technology will give his telekinetic powers the boost he desperately craves. (Fans of the games will quickly realize whose technology the geth are using, but in keeping with Andromeda’s nature as a fresh start, their identities are kept a mystery.)
Kandros was the head of the Initiative’s militia in the game, and a curious choice for the comic’s protagonist, since he wasn’t one of Pathfinder Ryder’s squadmates. To be fair, deuteragonist Cora Harper had been earmarked for N.K. Jemisin’s novel Initiation, and after reading this, you’ll have no doubt he was the next best choice to lead this story.
On the surface, he’s not the sort of outcast or loner who would want to wake up in another galaxy 600 years into the future (in fact he’s very close to his mother), but it’s made clear he also feels suffocated by his prestigious family name. As the story progresses, his superiors become alarmed by his dedication to finishing his mission, making his tale a unique mixture of duty and muntiny, and the character more than a stand-in for the conventionally rebellious Garrus Vakarian.
Creating characters distinct even to the Mass Effect universe seemed to be the modus operandi for the writers and artists: Olan Kooth was the first biotic salarian in the series, and Shio’Leth is revealed to have a husband who’s deeply worried about him. The standout is Luna Shanks, who’s a portly, middle-aged biotic that doesn’t resemble a superhero like all the other telekinetics in the franchise: she’s a great reminder that you don’t need to be toned to be strong, which makes a lot of sense given the games established biotic soldiers have to consume more calories than the average trooper.
The diverse cast emphasizes the notion Andromeda can be a place for a new beginning, free from the politicking and corruption of the Milky Way: Olan, Shio, and Luna’s backstories all establish them as victims of circumstance, who are (or would’ve been) much happier working with the Initiative. Among the places Kandros’s search takes him to are the xenophobic streets of Earth; the impoverished Wards of the Citadel; the violent, crime-ridden Omega (where he meets Aria T’Loak, and his cousin, Mass Effect 3: Omega’s Nyreen Kandros); and a quarian mining outpost, which are all ways of taking the reader on a farewell tour of the original trilogy’s settings, and reminding them of the brutality and injustice that infested the galaxy.
Gabriel Guzmán’s art is great: his pencils and inks have a distinctive, charcoal-esque shading that feels earthy, lending everything a sense of weight that grounds all the characters, and prevents them from looking overly glossy or airbrushed. It also provides a great contrast with the backgrounds, which are digitally painted, as if they were really photographed out-of-focus because of the distance, and the flashbacks (which lack any shading, further distinguishing them from the events in the present.)
Continued belowIronically, given the protagonist, Guzmán seems more comfortable rendering humans (and aliens with flat faces) than turians: his depiction of them have larger eyes and less snout-like noses and mouths than their virtual counterparts, as if they’re Earthlings wearing masks. (Also odd is how no one seems to have reminded Michael Atiyeh that the plates on the top of a turian’s head ought to be the same color as their facial carapaces, instead of their skin.) It’s fine though, really, as Guzmán’s work is strong, realistic, and otherwise accurate enough to the games that it’s not an issue.
Before I go, I should note there was a three-month gap between the third and fourth issues (possibly because of EA pulling the plug on Andromeda), and as a result the last chapter does a lot of internal recapping of prior events, which reads as dramatic but unnecessary in trade paperback. It’s the only real quibble I have with this excellent series, and it remains a shame that BioWare and Dark Horse still haven’t done more Mass Effect comics since.
Next week, we’ll conclude on a less depressing note by looking at every other Mass Effect one-shot and strip Dark Horse published, as well as a couple of comics in the games.
