This Image Comics title has been getting better and better, taking us deeper into a conspiracy where yes, malevolent reptilians are taking over the world. But the “how” and the “why” of it are still a mystery; and now, Tomas is alone in a strange place.
Written by James Robinson
Illustrated by J. BoneAfter last issue’s mayhem and slaughter, Tomas is alone, hunted by alien invaders in a strange town where the Day of the Dead celebration does little to help things. And when Tomas manages to trap an alien to learn its secrets, is he unwittingly setting up his own death too?
Sometimes it feels like every other comic these days has a Day of the Dead scene. It’s not hard to see why; the aesthetics of the celebration are so vivid and recognizable, and the macabre spirit of it is such a potent idea to work with. Happily, both James Robinson and J. Bone play this opportunity to the hilt: in terms of plot, the ruckus serves as cover for Tomas’s getaway, and all the while, Bone crowds the pages with sugar skulls and revelers, maintaining a sense of playfulness that acts as a neat counterpoint.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. The attack on the hideout has left Tomas with a lot of questions, and an opening scene where he gets some answers is a showstopper. Granted a face-to-face moment with an alien in dragon form, there are plenty of layers to puzzle through in this interaction. There’s some exposition in there, justified by a need to stall for time and aided by hypnosis. There are also a couple of reminders about the limits of Tomas’s lexicon, and while there’s probably one too many of these, they gesture toward his character and how overwhelmed he is by the situation. Keeping you guessing until the very last moment – which is a chilling revelation – it’s probably the most interesting dialogue in the series so far.
The alien himself is a piece of work, with Bone balancing malevolent traits with something like feline rambunctiousness. This issue is all about the chase, and watching this being perch and crouch and eye his surroundings is a delight. There’s a relaxed, freeform quality to Bone’s work that makes creatures like these seem all the more menacing by contrast, and having all of this play out against the Day of the Dead backdrop makes the issue as a whole awfully fun to look at.
The simple washes of colour also add a lot, with the touches of orange in otherwise uncoloured panels lending focus to crowded scenes. The alternating orange and blue tones in the concluding sequence are employed to harrowing effect, helping to illustrate just how narrow this escape is going to be.
Speaking of narrow escapes, the pacing of this issue is deftly handled, with Bone’s storytelling keeping the beats of the action clear despite all the festive details. Robinson’s plotting keeps us on our toes, too: when a second expository conversation turns up in the middle of the chase, Tomas encounters a character other than the one usual story conventions would have us expect. It isn’t exactly a twist, but it’s certainly disorienting, emphasizing the chaotic nature of Tomas’s journey.
This is the best issue of “The Saviors” yet, capitalizing on a unique locale and pushing its protagonist into an even more dire situation. Robinson’s fast-moving plot and Bone’s effortless-looking work are breezing us through this series, making it hard not to look forward to the next issue; but in the mean time, a chapter this beautifully executed could definitely use a second read.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
