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"Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1" Comic Review
Written by James Ferguson
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Paul Tobin
Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra
2014, 32 Pages, $3.50
Comic released on September 10th, 2014
Review:
The Prometheus had voyaged into the far reaches of space in an effort to discover the secret origin of mankind. It never returned. Now a new team of explorers has set out to the planet LV-223 under the guise of a salvage expedition to find out what happened to the last crew and Sir Peter Weyland. Yeah, I'm sure this is going to end well.
The first question that comes up with a movie tie-in comic is "Do I have to watch the film in order to understand the comic?" No, you don't. Writer Paul Tobin does a great job of filling in the details of the Ridley Scott's film. You get the information that is necessary for you to enjoy and understand the book. Tobin doesn't fill the pages with boring expedition. It's handled in an organic way. One of the characters is preparing a documentary on deep space travel, so there are these snippets from each member of the crew as they explain what they're doing and why.
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Tobin brings a sense of humanity to Prometheus that wasn't present in the film. The movie appeared sterile, with the events rather clinical. The crew on this new ship is much livelier, reminding me of the characters in Alien. They're cracking jokes and ready for action after being stuck in suspended animation for two years. They also don't know what they're going to witness when they get to LV-223, which gives the comic a feeling of imminent doom. You know what is inevitably coming, but these people have no idea.
LV-223 has changed a bit since we last saw it. Where once there was nothing but desert and rocks, there is now a mysterious jungle, teeming with life and death. The crew finds several strange creatures that resemble the classic monsters from Alien as well as numerous animal corpses. It's at this point in the comic that I'm screaming at the characters to get the hell out of there.
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Artist Juan Ferreyra perfectly sets the tone for this scene. There's a beauty in this jungle, but there's something terrifying about it. As the crew ventures further and further into it, you can practically see everything closing around them. The sheer idea of a monkey / Alien hybrid is something that is going to haunt my nightmares and Ferreyra brings that to life. This isn't that surprising considering that Tobin and Ferreyra's previous collaboration was Colder, which birthed all kinds of frightening monsters. The artist has a talent for creating some truly unique and horrifying creatures and it's no different here.
Prometheus: Fire and Stone is a satisfying continuation to the movie, building up upon established continuity with a new spin. It's filled with just as much, if not more, terror than the movie. The issue is filled with a sense of dread as these characters unknowingly begin heading towards their deaths. The tension slowly builds as the crew makes its way through this strange jungle, leading to one helluva cliffhanger ending that will have you crying for more.
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