Check out the review of The Overman #1, from Silver Bullet Comics. Or just read it below. The Overman #2 arrives in comic shops January 8. If you've already read The Overman #1, and know someone who would also like the book, you can head over to the home page and use our handy little 'send to a friend' feature. Just fill in the email address of someone you know who might want to read The Overman, and click SEND. Easy stuff. And it helps us WARN OTHERS about this mini-series. It's best to be prepared, don't you think?From Silver Bullet Comics:
How can you not be intrigued by a book that promises the end of the world? Not the danger of the world ending, mind you, that's as common as unsalted butter. Overman, on the other hand, opens with a narrative that speaks of the destruction of the human race in the past tense. While this could simply be literary sleight of hand, the rest of the book is weird and disturbing enough that it might not be.
The story begins with Nathan Fisher, a thief of some kind, breaking into a cabin in rural Pennsylvania. Nathan is looking for something, but what that is isn't stated here, only that things don't turn out well for Nathan. While that alone is reason enough for the beginning to be alluring, it is doubly so because Reed and White have created a believable future in a few short pages. The year is 2135, and the differences between our time and the present of Overman are as subtle and great as the difference between 2007 and 1870. While there are things you'll recognize (firearms, ties), there are things that are completely alien. I doubt many people in this day and age would consider crawling into a learning machine that resembles a womb more than a computer. However, being a man of the 22nd century, Nathan crawls right in and launches readers into a story within his story.This takes us to Exodus, part asylum, part prison, and Hellish enough that it sits in orbit rather than being built on solid ground. The dumping ground for Earth's psychopaths, the head of the facility, Dr. Grey, isn't what you'd expect; rather than some sadist looking to run a crazy factory, Dr. Grey appears to legitimately care about her wards, to the point where she is extremely skeptical when a corporation by the name of Omakon shows interest in purchasing Exodus. When the heads of Omakon arrive at the facility, the source of her caution becomes clear.
However, all of this pales at the introduction of what is presumably the Overman, Dmitri Leonov. Comatose after years of wearing a highly dangerous form of combat armor, Leonov's name is still spoken in hushed tones years after his disappearance and subsequent reappearance as a vegetable. As to what, exactly, Leonov did to earn such a fearsome reputation is only briefly stated here, but even as a unspeaking shell he still strikes fear into those that come near him.
While the narrative may be a bit confusing at times, this is only due to the fact that Reed and White have put the reader into the middle of two stories that are separate but intertwined. There's no heavy handed exposition, just a deep and riveting chronicle that the reader is thrust into by a thief in the night. Whatever it was that Nathan Fisher found in that Pennsylvania cabin, readers will want to know about it. This first issue is a great setup, promising an intriguing blend of noir, cyberpunk and apocalyptic goodness.
- Matthew McLean
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author's work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com
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