Reviews 

Pick of the Week: Tierney and Chan’s “HaloGen” Starts with a Big Bang #1 [Review]

By | March 5th, 2015
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

This four-parter from Archaia has one of the more intriguing solicits I’ve come across lately. Clearly coming from a place of admiration re: a certain Alan Moore/Ian Gibson comic, “HaloGen” makes of the most of its central concept and heritage, setting out a big, dense, and unusual looking adventure.

Written by Josh Tierney
Illustrated by Afu Chan

WHY WE LOVE IT: We’ve published four books thus far in Josh Tierney’s Spera series because we simply love his characters and storytelling. Now, he teams up with fellow webcomic creators Afu Chan (Spera) and Giannis Milonogiannis (Old City Blues, Prophet) for a new creator-owned, sci-fi adventure.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Having first collaborated on the Eisner Award-nominated Spera series, the creative team behind HaloGen is no stranger to kick-butt ladies, epic world-building, and sweeping adventures. This time they’re strapping on their sci-fi boots for a series perfect for fans of Prophet, Rocket Girl, and The Fifth Element.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: There’s a rumor on Cityship Q that the gigantic body of a dead god was found floating in space. Rell, an agent working for the HaloGen organization, is tasked with finding the location of the god and retrieving it by any means necessary. Using her ability to form hyper-realistic holograms, Rell is about to take on the first mission she might not be able to finish.

There’s so much going on in its book that it’s difficult to know where to start. The plot comes across in dense chunks, with Afu Chan’s art doing its best to keep your mind wandering in odd directions. The first page – and the dead god sprawled across it – give you a good idea of what’s to come. One part Nekron, one part tapeworm, the god is foregrounded by chunks of narrative text, rendered – slightly shakily – by hand. A good dose of exposition comes across here, getting across a Lovecraftian tone; while the textural, rough-hewn look of the art draws you in.

At this point we’re introduced to Rell – our tough heroine, with a grouchy edge. Her ability to project holograms – harnessed by a specially-designed suit – makes her an outcast as well as something of a curiosity to others, and this sense of not being quite right in her own skin comes across strongly. It’s not just the scowl she wears; it’s in her posing, too, getting across a near-constant air of frustration.

Her colleagues are a visually diverse bunch, and characterized vividly; we don’t learn a lot about them, individually, in the space they’re afforded, but their appearances spice up the narrative, and learning more about them in future issues looks like an exciting prospect.

The halfway point of the comic takes us somewhere unusual indeed, with Rell encountering a sort of ally. It’s an odd beat, but effective, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe it’s the fact that this alliance is so unlikely, and occurs between such a striking pair of outcasts; maybe it’s the fact that it’s so fleeting, establishing a basis of understanding between the two characters and then evaporating into thin air. Suffice it to say that while the upcoming arc of Rell’s quest is set up in this issue, it doesn’t do so according to the usual rhythms; and it sets up some weighty themes to contemplate along the way.

All the while, Afu Chan’s art is refreshing, free of the coat of varnish that shines up most sci-fi tales. The lines are ragged and wandering, forming warped humanoid figures and crowded backdrops. Shelly Chen’s colours, by contrast, are bright and crisp, keeping the unusual shapes distinct and emphasizing Chan’s odd sense of line all the more. The effect, alongside the hand-lettering, is wonderful; the whole looks organic, like the pages took shape of their own accord in the primordial soup of some undiscovered planet.

The last page is particularly interesting because of the small, I would almost say commonplace, incident that takes place on it. It reminds us of the realities of Rell’s existence; of what this society is constantly projecting on her. And in an issue packed so tight with information it almost bursts, a quiet moment like this hits hard.

Continued below

If I can level one major criticism against “HaloGen”, it’s that the intricacy works against it at times. Between the exposition, the diverse characters, and the unique art style, it’s hard to know what to focus on. But then, for fans of complex, immersive sci-fi, this probably like complaining about all the diamonds you have lying around.

“HaloGen” is obviously an unconventional read, and not everybody’s cup of tea. But it’s also got some tried-and-true elements: a compelling heroine, an epic quest, and a staggeringly big universe to explore. It feels fresh and classic at the same time – no mean feat, and a clue that we can expect great things from this sprawling tale.

Final Verdict: 8.4 – Old school sci-fi that sparks the imagination.


//TAGS | Pick of the Week

Michelle White

Michelle White is a writer, zinester, and aspiring Montrealer.

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