Issue: Debris #1
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe
Pencils: Riley Rossmo
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: 7/25/2012
Mature Readers
In the far future, humanity has doomed planet earth to rot and decay, covering her surface with garbage. Now, ancient spirits called the Colossals rise from the debris and attack the remaining survivors, forcing the human race to the brink of extinction. One warrior woman, Maya, sets out to find the last source of pure water to save the world before the monsters bring it all to an end.
Story: 8/10 • Artwork: 8/10 • Overall 8/10
[singlepic id=1020 w=320 h=240 float=right]The first thing that stands out about Debris #1 is the contrast in styles between the cover and the inside of the book. The cover is really intense with this meta, spiritual, robotic feel to it with dark colors. Then you open the book and get to the first page and it has these rich blue colors. Owen Gieni colors a gorgeous book but I’m not sure these colors scream post-apocalyptic garbage planet. With that said I love Gieni’s use of rich bright colors at night and dark reds during the battle scene.
This issue is the setup for the rest of the series; you discover your hero and her cause. Writing for comic books is tough because you want to hook your reader with the first issue but you don’t want to give too story much away. With Debris #1 Kurtis J. Wiebe could have given the reader more substance about the main character to help the reader bond with the story, or he should have ended the book with a cliffhanger to make the reader need to read the second issue. I left the issue needing another issue to decide whether I liked it or not. You can tell Wiebe has a story to tell because there is an attention to detail. Every monster has a specific name and roll. I’m sure Wiebe knows how to fix the plumbing in Maya’s town as well.
The artist Riley Rossmo works well with Wiebe, the story and action flow well together. Rossmo has a slight anime style that lends well to the emotion and action scenes. Rossmo does have a rough style that could use some cleanup in the inking stage but that is more of a personal preference.
What is most impressive is all the science fiction books coming from Image Comics. Comic book fans need to give Image credit for taking chances with new creative content. If you like the post-apocalyptic genre pick up Debris #1 and enjoy Wiebe and Rossmo’s interpretation of the future.
Follow Matthew Sardo on twitter @comicavult
