Advance Review: Antarctica #1
From Top Cow
A special advance review - one that I had actually pre-ordered based on the story and the creative team. This is a new series from Top Cow - Antarctica #1.
Stargate meets His Dark Materials in a new non-stop sci-fi action blockbuster!
Hannah's life imploded the day her father failed to return from the secretive Smith-Petersen Research Station in Antarctica. Alone and on the street, she's at her lowest ebb when a friend offers help. Retrained as an engineer, Hannah secures a job at the same Antarctic station to search for her father and stumbles headfirst into a conspiracy that threatens everything she's ever believed.
By Simon Birks & Wili Roberts
This is an excellent, well-rounded introduction. Starting off in the past, it gives us an excellent introduction to Hannah and what has driven her life to the point we get to at the end and a good insight into her personality.
There is some excellent framing at the beginning, with the joy of Hannah seeing her father return home and then the sadness when he doesn’t. In a good twist on the usual tropes, she doesn’t go out to find him, but her life does spiral down into something worse. The way this plays out and leads us to the better times works out well, with some good looks at what it is that finally picks her up off the streets. A bittersweet moment plays well into the character and her decisions. From here, there is an excellent montage of Hannah as she works her way up. She has some goals now, and luckily they coincide with each other.
That goal, of course, is Antarctica, and we get a cold introduction on more than one way. This aspect moves on quicker as we build to the cliffhanger - which caught me out and adds a new dimension to the overall story.
There is some excellent art in this - not only is there the cold of Antarctica, but there is also the city, the streets, indoors and outside, and places of learning. They all feel really kinetic and have some great angles and movements. The colours add to this, and the difference between the tones of the streets and the whites of the snow and ice really add to this story.
Yes, there is a big cliffhanger to this, and it’s in the right place and time - I really enjoyed reading this, and this is a series to get onto.
