If I’ve got a soft spot as a reviewer, it’s for science fiction comics – specifically, science fiction comics about space exploration and first contact. It’s just such a compelling formula, and while I’m a great admirer of books that play around with the formula (see: “Caliban”), those that don’t deviate at all can still have some pull to them. This seems to be the case with “Deep Gravity”, a four-part miniseries from Dark Horse. Neither the story nor the art surprises, but this first issue is a solid read all the same.
Written by Mike Richardson, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko
Illustrated by Fernando BaldóHe didn’t get onto the most lucrative interstellar mission for the money—Paxon wants to be reunited with the woman he loves. But his high-stakes journey takes him to a savage world full of the galaxy’s most dangerous game, where the gravity can turn your bones to powder.
* Written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko (Star Wars: Legacy, Planet of the Apes).
Big planet, crushing gravity, vicious creatures. The most popular incarnation of this formula would probably be Avatar, although the planet of “Deep Gravity” doesn’t have native humanoids. Otherwise, though, matters are about what you’d expect. Sleeper ships, resource exploitation, short-term contracts, heavy competition. Our protagonist is Paxon, a third-class engineer who’s taken the long voyage with a distinct endgame in mind. As the issue moves forward, though, there are larger matters at stake. Like survival.
Fernando Baldó’s art doesn’t grab your eye straight off the bat. It’s got a vaguely ’90s style, with heavy, inflected shading, while Nick Filardi’s muted colouring is more suggestive of vintage comics. But there are some disorienting visual tricks to be found in this issue, and they make the reading experience an entertaining one.
The first of these is apparent before we touch the planet’s surface. During a spacewalk, a wrench drifting out of reach moves straight off the edge of a panel – only to be yanked out of the gutter and back into the comicverse. Baldó pushes the scale here, having the wrench loom close in from of our eyes before being snatched back. And while it’s only a fleeting moment, it manages to get us on our toes at this early point.
Down on the planet, it’s the creatures that keep you guessing. It’s stressed over and over in the dialogue that there is no dividing line between plants and animals on this world, but it’s the monsters themselves that drive the point home. Huge, predatory, and (in one instance) quite sneaky, they’re as terrifying and toothy as you could ask for, all without coming across as unbelievable or excessively monstrous. Particularly memorable is the elephantine creature with an indistinguishable back and front; it’s unpredictable in its movements, and terrifying in its scale.
As for our protagonist, it’s a little difficult to sympathize with Paxon at this early moment. He doesn’t have much dialogue, and visually he doesn’t give us much, either. Our hero is a reasonably quiet, not terribly talented engineer with a bleeding heart. And while I have no doubt that the crisis that ends the issue will push him into interesting situations, he has yet to surprise us.
His love interest is only a little more interesting; she’s quite literally dwarfed by the creature she’s attempting to wrangle, and we don’t get much of her personality besides the hardboiled quality that comes across in the minor characters. Her remoteness is just one more alienating factor for Paxon to face.
Of course, both of these cases could be a matter of character work being drowned out by first-issue exposition, of which there is a fair amount. But it’s all fairly concisely handled, coming across through dialogue as Paxon arrives on the planet. There’s plenty of room for it; these are tough characters in a tough situation, being fried by radiation as we speak, and their conversation is on the functional side. A few points are even repeated: the plants vs. animal issue, for instance, and Paxon’s middling expertise. This tendency can be mildly annoying, but for my part, I don’t mind when a comic sets about making a point particularly clear.
Continued belowThe cliffhanger is definitely a bolt from the blue, and while the idea of there being no prior warning is a bit shaky, it’s a satisfying enough jolt. It does underscore the feeling of danger lurking around every turn, which seems to be the defining idea for this issue.
This is a well-executed if not terribly original first chapter that sets up all the necessary elements and clears the way for an inciting event. I am reminded, though, that I said the same thing about the first issue of “Storm Dogs”, only to be blown away by the originality of the second, and that’s a comic that blossomed into something interesting indeed. First issues are tricky beasts, particularly so with science fiction. But from where I’m standing, “Deep Gravity” isn’t as deep as all that.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – A solid, entertaining comic that will scratch your science-fiction itch.
