From writer Matthew Rosenberg (What’s the Furthest Place from Here?, 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank) and artist Stefano Landini comes a suspenseful & delightful piece of classic sci-fi/espionage in We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1. Featuring colors by Roman Titov and Jason Wordie and lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, this opening issue offers as much heart and conceptual promise as it does wacky humor. With what comes off as a mix of Johnny Quest, 007, and The Venture Bros., We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us is off to a phenomenal start.
“After her mad-scientist father is killed by the world’s greatest spy, 13-year-old Annalise is left all alone in the world. Sort of. Her dead dad’s robot bodyguard is following her around for some reason. Now Annalise has a choice: try to lead a normal life for the first time ever…or seek revenge and maybe overthrow the world order in the process.”
Writing & Plot
Matthew Rosenberg captures a modernized take on classic Silver Age sci-fi adventures and espionage stories from the same era. His story here – a young girl being raised by a scientist and a group of bodyguard/nanny robots – is a familiar one told with sharp dialogue and more contemporary humor. The opening here where we meet Annalise, the robots, her father, and are introduced to the whole premise, is a brilliant mix of genre tropes and genuinely heartfelt character writing. Rosenberg’s dialogue is widely varied, with each character having completely distinct delivery and tone. All of the comic’s exposition is delivered in naturalistic conversation, making it as compelling as it is fun to read. The way Annalise’s father’s dialogue switches from stereotypical “cold scientist” babble to that of a loving father without ever losing direction of the character is a great piece of writing. As for the abundant humor, Rosenberg nails every part – from the awkward interactions of the robots to the introduction of a drug-addled super-spy. The script flows effortlessly from humor to suspense to tenderness, all while keeping the reader engaged with the growing mystery of the story. All in all, Rosenberg nails it again.
Art Direction
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a comic written by Rosenberg that didn’t also have a striking visual style, and Stefano Landini provides this once more in the pages of We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1. His detailed character animations and eye for direction pull the reader into the pages, and keep the story flowing along at an even pace. Rosenberg’s stories always call for a lot of emotion (mostly snark) from the cast. Landini provides this with a motley group of scientists, their assistants, awkward robots, and super-spies that all look and feel totally different. While his wider, more encompassing panels are full of life, its Landini’s close-ups that really grab your attention. There’s a tender moment between Annalise and her father that is a standout in terms of animating emotion. The art also really sells Rosenberg’s comedy, nailing the timing and delivery of dialogue as well as the physical comedy. Helping Landini’s pencils is the color art of Roman Titov and Jason Wordie. Their work here fills in the world with a tonally rich palette that perfectly captures the atmosphere and vibe of every page. They utilize a flat-style palette reminiscent of that in Fraction & Aja’s Hawkeye run – specifically the Kate Bishop parts. There is a lot of usage of lighting as a source of color that really sells a sense of place within the story. Finally, the lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is unsurprisingly fantastic. His normal dialogue work shifts wildly to form weird SFX and character sounds that all overlap into a phenomenal reading experience. Overall, We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us is a stellar piece of visual storytelling.
Verdict
We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1 is a fantastic opening chapter for this new series. Matthew Rosenberg’s script has as much humanity as it does humor, combining familiar genre tropes with great comedy and moments of tenderness all wrapped up in a genuinely compelling story. The visuals from Stefano Landini, Roman Titov, and Jason Wordie all work together to make a piece of visual narrative that captures the pace and atmosphere of this sci-fi/espionage comic perfectly. Be sure to grab this debut issue when it hits shelves on March 26th!
