The first arc of “Black Science” comes to a startling conclusion, with Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera attempting to “out-‘Walking Dead'” Robert Kirkman.
They just might have done it.
Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Matteo ScaleraStranded in the most dangerous dimension yet, Grant McKay’s rage at his onetime boss boils over. Ignoring the chaos all around them, the two finally come to blows! Only one thing is certain: before the Pillar makes its next jump…one of them must die! Don’t miss the conclusion to the first arc of the world’s most mind-melting sci-fi comic!
Whoa.
How about that for a first arc finale?
A brief tangent: There is a constant deluge of new creator owned books launching at Image on what feels like a daily basis. Each book has a stellar creative team, an awesome hook, or both! Each vies for my attention and my $3-4. I’m often left wondering how something like this is sustainable? How can the market support all these great books? The answer can only be this; by telling stories that have to be read. “Black Science” is, without a doubt, just that.
“Black Science” #6 picks up from the last issue’s gripping cliffhanger (or cliff-jumper, am I right?). Of course, as McKay and Kadir plummet into the frozen, ape-ridden volcano, there is going to be an out. What kind of book lets one of the central characters die in the opening arc?
Of course, I’m referring to the “Walking Dead.” That jab I made before the cut wasn’t just jazzy click bait. Remender and Scalera are touching on a lot of themes that were prominent in the early days of said zombie opus. Themes like fidelity, duty, fatherhood, of trying to return to normality with no end to the strange in sight. This is by no means suggesting “Black Science” is derivative. In fact, it’s one of the most unique books on the stands.
Rick Remender owns science fiction. The writer has proven his adept skill for the genre time and again, in books like “Uncanny X-Force” and “Fear Agent.” “Black Science” has fully embraced the genre thus far, with bizarre alien races, alternate histories, parallel worlds and time hopping doppelgängers. This issue brings plant based ectoplasmic beings that possess great white apes for hosts. The sheer imagination on display in this book is mesmerizing.
Undoubtedly, the rest of the team deserves equal credit for the impeccability of the final product. Each of the four members of the “Black Science” team brings something essential to the book. Matteo Scalera brings these worlds to life like none other. He captures the book’s raw dynamic energy in sharp, stone hewn lines. The impressive sense of design makes for a well paced story that hangs on all the right beats. The heavy use of double pages spreads is mitigated by incorporation of smaller panels along the bottom of the page, ensuring that no momentum is lost at the expense of the book’s powerful establishing shots. My only complaint with Scalera’s work is that it’s still hard to tell Pia and Rebecca apart.
Paired with Dean White’s colors, Scalera’s pencils become a technicolor dream world. White is one of the most accomplished and skilled colorists in the industry. His palette borders on garish, but manages to toe the line well, resulting in a finished product that is both beautiful and unsettling.
To my shame, I don’t often mention letterers. It’s a rather impenetrable piece of the comic process that requires a more discerning eye than I possess. However, anyone should be able to recognize the contribution of Rus Wooton’s letters. Like Scalera’s harsh pencils, Wooton’s letters are roughtly hewn. Tall, thin, and often accented by italicization, the letters have a distinctive feel that is distinctly “Black Science.”
The “Black Science” team has pulled out all the stops in issue #6. The team has shown several times just how far they are willing to go with this story, and yet you can’t help but be surprised when you turn that final page. Any comic reader worth their salt will take any sort of massive status quo change with a grain of salt, but this team sells the emotion and gravity of the situation like true masters of the trade. Even though it ends on a cliffhanger, the team expands on several of the book’s ongoing threads, giving these first six issues a sense of completeness in their own right. At the same time, they open the door to so much possibility, peeling back the layers of the onion, as it were. Like all great “season finales,’ “Black Science” #6 leaves you on the edge of your seat, begging for more as the scene fades to white. Well played team, see you again in July.
Final Verdict: 9.7 – Buy.
