Writer: Nick Bryan Art: Lucas Peverill Publisher: Self-published
WHAT IS IT?
A suspenseful, one-shot sci-fi/horror thriller on the moon.
Take the scary, inhospitable tone from Moon, the dark side of technology from Black Mirror and the struggle to survive from The Martian and you've got a cocktail pretty close to this story.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
The world needed more digital storage, and didn't have enough room to house a mainframe big enough to hold all that data. Thus, they turned the moon into that mainframe.
One woman, Dr. Harriet Marks, came up with the idea to use brain matter to store all that data, since it can store so much information in a small space. The idea was seen as brilliant. At least, until someone had to go and ruin it, the way someone always does.
As a punishment for her oversight, the Powers That Be sent her husband to fix it. Dr. Marks supports her husband and his fellow team member from the ground, telling them where to go and how to fix the issue. In concept, it's a great plan. But what will this team do when things start to go wrong?
WHAT WORKS?
Turning the moon into a hard drive using brains is a really cool, unique concept
Also, the idea of people risking their lives to save our treasure trove of cat videos is both absurd and frighteningly possible
Loved the idea of typical benign Internet content becoming terrifying and deadly
Nick Bryan builds the tension and sense of danger well, and having Dr. Marks narrate the way that she did (you'll see when you read it) was a smart narrative device
Peverill's art is textured, somehow both gritty and clear (see below)
His characters look so real, almost rotoscoped, like in A Scanner Darkly
Loved the line, “Can’t believe I’m stuck here cos your wife is $#^%%* Mark Zuckerberg”
The callback to this later was a deft touch by Nick Bryan
DC Hopkins' lettering worked very well with the art and tone
There were certain moments of sentient, threatening Internet where I wasn't sure if the effects were from Hopkins or Peverill (letterer or illustrator, respectively), but I thought they were very well done
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
No color in the interior (if that bothers you), but the line art is crisp and the absence of color helps build tension and the feeling of impending doom that comes with the void of space
At times, faces can look overtextured and strange
The lines on people’s faces look less like shading and more like hard lines, actually there
Not sure if this is an issue that could be solved through color or shading?
Because it's a one-shot that's only 24 pages (including covers), it seems like the creators make sacrifices in order to keep the story moving along quickly
It's difficult to go into it much without spoiling key moments, but suffice to say there were beats that could have been hit harder for a greater impact and a more natural feel
It would've been cool to see more aspects of the Internet incorporated into the characters' reality
Establishing text for locations could have smoothed some transitions and plot points
Nitpicky: The way this space program is run feels very unprofessional
The entirety of the Internet and probably millions upon millions of dollars, and you're making the inventor of the Moonframe play support while her husband fixes it?
Just suspend your disbelief, and you'll enjoy it a lot more; it just caught me up a little while I read it
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
If you're a fan of suspenseful thrillers in space, this is the indie comic for you. The concept is unique, and immediately pulls you in. Nick Bryan builds that tension and Lucas Peverill's textures make it feel real.
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
The Little Deaths of Watson Tower by Nick Bryan & Rosie Alexander
Scratcher by John Ward & Juan Romera
Frankenstein Texas by Dan Whitehead & David Hitchcock
If you like the art:
The Resurrected by Christian Carnouche & Crizam Zamora
Original Sin by Jason Aaron & Mike Deodato
Sweet Heart by Dillon Gilbertson & Francesco Iaquinta
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Nick Bryan – Writer
New Face: This is Nick's first full-length comic!
He's also a novelist
Also discusses stories in his (and Alastair JR Ball's) podcast, Moderate Fantasy Violence
Lucas Peverill – Illustrator
New Face: This is the first full-length standalone comic from Lucas
His art tends to be photorealistic, with color hold lines on the skin that look almost like water effects
Outlander: Based in the UK
DC Hopkins – Letterer
Is a staff letterer for AndWorld design, the studio established by Fearscape letterer, Deron Bennett
Multitalented: Co-hosts the horror podcast, Eerie, International, and the comics/pop culture podcast, Hideous Energy
Moniker: His real first name is David, and he chooses not to share what his middle name is
HOW DO I BUY IT?
The comic is coming soon. When it does, you can go to Nick's Gumroad site to purchase this comic in print or digital.
The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All Nick Bryan & Lucas Peverill characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Nick Bryan & Lucas Peverill or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED