Not too long ago, we asked Brian Wood what cultural identity means in the post-Crash world of “The Massive.” In this issue, we get to see at least a little bit of his answer (well, he answered us last time, but now through story).
Written by Brian Wood
Illustrated by Gary ErskineThe Kapital finally gets a reliable lead on The Massive and moves to follow . . . only to stumble into a regional war zone! Callum must deal with a mutiny when members of his crew force him to divert so they can join their home country in its war.
* Artwork by Gary Erskine!
* The first of three standalone issues with three different artists. Perfect jumping on point!
We can pretend that one day, everyone in the world will get along, and that we will all identify ourselves as citizens of the world, nationalism having died out in our transition to a single global civilization. On the other, perhaps more probable hand, it could be that in the span of mere decades some world-spanning crisis will happen that completely dissolves the nations of the world as we know them, reducing us to the mere hunter-gatherer band of nomads that we started our time on this earth as. Whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, it is hard to argue that it would take anything less than a near complete whiping of humankind from the planet to remove cultural identity from the population, and the loyalty that often comes with it. Brian Wood addresses this in the latest issue of “The Massive,” as Cal is confronted by Ninth Wave crew members who are faced with a pang more severe than simple homesickness: that of national loyalty. It would be easy writing for Wood to make Cal’s response blindly idealistic, chanting slogans about how such ties are selfish in a world such as this, but while we do get a little bit of this, Wood (and, by extension, Cal) knows that reality is much more complex. It’s a very interesting moment as Cal weighs what would be best for the Kapital with what is right for his crew, and stands as yet another example of the difficult questions that this series asks.
This issue is also a great example of how to do issue-by-issue, arc-based storytelling, without necessarily being a one-and-done (without being one at all, really). Clearly, it’s just one part of a larger story, and that story is just a part of an even larger story, but at the same time it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. This is something Wood has been very good at accomplishing with his issues in recent years; each one reads more like an episode, rather than an excerpt. As writing for the trade has become the norm, a lot of books have hit the shelves that are flat out unpleasant to read in single issues, especially when readers have to pay high prices for something they only can only hope will be good once it’s a completed whole. This more issue-conscious approach is also more conducive to attracting new readers, while still maintaining the overarching: while they might not be so sure of who exactly these characters are, what the Massive is, or why the crew on the Kapital are so intent on pursuing it, someone who had never picked up an issue of “The Massive” could, theoretically, pick up the issue and get what’s going on in the context of the issue.
By this point, series artist Garry Brown has set “the look” of the series after following Kristian Donaldson, but with this issue veteran Gary Erskine joins the crew for a brief tour. As always, Erskine demonstrates that he is a man who can do the job: the storytelling is crisp and clear, the pages are very well composed, and he rarely skimps or takes easy outs. This is a more introspective, personal issue than some of the issues beforehand, and so Erskine takes an only slightly more stylized, looser approach than Brown to convey emotion with a bit more finesse, though the realism snaps back into shape for the now typical “newsreel” panels. That’s not at all to say there’s a massive (ha ha) disparity between Erskine and Brown; while the two are clearly different artists, as you can tell upon opening the cover, there’s a cohesion in style that is sometimes lost when guest artists step in. What’s remarkable, though, is that Erskine isn’t the only new artist: the book is also joined by colorist Jordie Bellaire. Normally, this would make all the difference, and result in a comic that looked separate from those before it, but Bellaire’s eye for detail gives us a comic that is still unmistakably “The Massive.”
This latest arc of “The Massive” has been billed as an event, and while that term carries a lot of connotations, you can be sure it’s off to a better start than any other self-described event comics I’ve read in the past few years. Brian Wood has been cranking out consistent levels of quality for the past year and longer, and Gary Erskine is an addition to the creative cast whom I’d welcome back in a heartbeat. Between the complex questions the issue asks and the general high quality of the workmanship, plus its ability to stand on its own as well as a link in the chain, you’ve got a fine comic issue — just like the other nine preceding it.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy it!
