Sunday, May 3, 2020

AFTERSHOCK ADVISOR, Opening Entry: DISASTER, INC #1

EDITOR’S NOTE: Once things return to normal following the coronavirus crisis, most of us are going to be on limited budgets. I seriously doubt real comics fans are going to give up their hobby, but they’ll need to be more selective and will probably pass up some books they might normally pick up. 
That’s probably going to hurt the smaller indie publishers more than the Big Two, and that would be a shame. 

   As a comics blogger, I sometimes get advance review copies of upcoming books. I’m going to try to review as many as possible and post them here early enough that readers can then make informed decisions about their purchase choices. Even more important, comic shops are going to need their customer base to step up and pre-order as much as possible. I’m concerned that many books that deserve an audience won’t benefit because comic shops are going to cut back on quantity, and probably not going to bring in a book they have no pre-orders for. 

   As an Aftershock Ambassador I get to see digital copies of some books before the release date. I’ll be reviewing most of them here. My purpose is not to suggest you buy them all, but to give you enough information to decide for yourself. I’m also going to rate them as a fan and objective reviewer. If I don’t like a particular book, I’m not going to endorse it.  Your feedback will let me know how well I’m doing. 



DISASTER, INC # 1 (Aftershock Comics, in stores  May 20 - - place your pre-order at your local comic shop by the May 4 FOC -final order cutoff.)  Joe Harris, writer.  Sebastian Piriz, art. Carlos Mangual, letters. Andy Clarke & Jose Villarrubia, main cover. “Destination Fukushima, Part One”.

   Joe Harris, best known for Great Pacific (Image) and X-Files (IDW), puts a unique spin on guided tour vacation travel packages. Disaster, Inc provides upscale leisure and extreme adventure for the wealthy elite. First trip will be to the restricted area surrounding the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan.

Both the travel guides and guests have some suspicious characters in their company that creates enough mystery and underlying tension to keep this mainly expository first issue interesting. 
  
Also, the bookend scenes featuring two German scientists photographing deformed butterflies while keeping one eye on the radiation meter provides some great foreshadowing. In fact, it’s that looming shadow with a distinctly samurai profile that sets readers up for shocks to come.  Interesting science-fiction with notes of horror. I can’t wait to see where Harris is taking this. 


RATING SYSTEM

 STORY: An interesting premise with a diversity of intriguing characters. A necessary set-up issue that doesn’t slow things down too much . 2.25  POINTS out of a possible 3.

ART:    Piriz’s style has a Heavy Metal vibe to it. Not surprising, considering his past work - - and it helps establish the sci-fi atmosphere. 2 POINTS out of a possible 3. 

COVER: Makes you want to pick up the book and skim it, as all good covers should. 2 POINTS out of a possible 2. 

READ AGAIN?  Definitely. I want to clearly identify these characters for myself before reading more, as I suspect some of them won’t make it to Issue #5. It’ll be fun to make guesses. 1 POINT out of a possible 1.

RECOMMEND? If you’re a fan of science-fiction adventure and Japanese history, you will like this.  0.5 POINTS out of a possible 1.

TOTAL RATING: 7.75 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS. Definitely above average.

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