Sam Humphries seems to be all over the place nowadays, doesn’t he? The writer behind the surprise hit “Our Love is Real” has a new sci-fi tale that will span UNIVERSES, not just worlds. Let’s see if it’s worth the trip.
Written by Sam Humphries
Illustrated by Francesco BiaginiSpace is dead. Why conquer other planets when there’s a perfectly good Earth in the universe next door?
Heidi, a girl born in garbage. Rex, a soldier gone rogue. The only thing between them and their destiny is an empire of a hundred different Earths, across a hundred alternate timelines. One majestic planet dominates them all: HIGHER EARTH.
Created and written by Sam Humphries (SACRIFICE, MARVEL’S JOHN CARTER: GODS OF MARS, FANBOYS VS. ZOMBIES) HIGHER EARTH is his sci-fi follow up to last year’s surprise hit OUR LOVE IS REAL — a fast-paced epic of infinite possibilities featuring arresting art by Francesco Biagini (ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST, DINGO).
Before “Higher Earth,” I had never really read much from the writer, Sam Humphries. I had picked up the “CBGB” book from a couple years back, and I enjoyed the “Fraggle Rock” adaptation, but I missed “Our Love Is Real” and “Sacrifice.” I had heard good things, and given that I love #1’s, I picked this book up.
First off, I want to say that I love that Boom and Humphries/Biagini decided to sell “Higher Earth” #1 at the paltry price of $1. Giving the first issue an introductory price of sorts to get people hooked is a smart idea, and it’s one that Vertigo and Dark Horse has employed before.
The concept is one of the more creative concepts in stores right now, as it takes the idea of alternate universes and adds political undertones while also touching upon colonialism and classism, among a bunch of other thorny topics that are present in the real world, even if we don’t interact with the multiverse. It’s an idea filled with possibilities that haven’t been explored in a long time, if they have ever been explored.
The problem with the book though, is the disjointed and erratic storytelling that doesn’t explain half of the things that happen in the book. Admittedly, there are a lot of cool things that happen. Our female lead, who has lived on a garbage planet for her entire life, rides around in a robot that looks like a bear with metal arms, swiping away and destroying everything in its path. But while this is a really awesome idea that could have been a lot of fun, it’s only touched upon for all of one page. Before that page, there’s no hint of a bearbotmobile (patent pending) and afterwards, it’s like it didn’t happen. Just before that, Rex, our male lead, drops in on Heidi’s (the female lead’s) planet with the rest of the garbage dropped into her universe for the “Higher Earths” (get it? This is like the moment when they say “Doctor Who?” on Doctor Who) with a mysterious device that isn’t really explained until it shows up again in the end of the book as a way for the characters to leave Garbage Earth. I could go on, but there are numerous plot goofs that just detract from any sort of overall enjoyment in the book. In fact, the only thing that is explicitly described in a way so everyone understands it is the idea of the multiverse itself. There is a vast empire of multiple Earths that spreads from one end of the multiverse to the other, with a primary Earth that is the seat of power, all the way down to garbage Earths, much like the Earth that our heroes happen to inhabit for most of this issue. The mistake is that this wasn’t exactly the piece that needed that much focus, when there were other things, like the fluidity of the storytelling, that could have been fleshed out instead.
On the other hand, the art from Francesco Biagini is one of the strongest parts of the book, with only a few flaws. The character designs, while not designed by him, look great and the action never slows down. Everyone is very expressive, and it helps relay the emotion of the story, even if the words don’t. The colors by Andrew Crossley looks amazing as well, with rich purples and reds populating the recesses of outer space, making the colors jump off the page even more than it would have otherwise. If there is one issue with the art itself, it’s the fact that there are some layout problems that make some of the pages look like a jumble. Which is too bad, it had so much going for it other than that.
“Higher Earth” is a book that had so much potential and wasted the opportunity to be something really special. The price point is enough to get you to at least check it out, but the next issues will really have to step it up if they want to keep people interested. Perhaps this is a lesson in getting what you pay for.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – Browse
