Drifter #1

By Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein

Image is a company that is not afraid to take risks with the books they put out. The big two rarely take chances and tend to stick with their characters and their formula for stories that have worked for them forever. As a company, Image continues to be a wildcard and continues to put out some of the best comics every year. This week we get Drifter, which is a different kind of story, and that’s absolutely all right.

When looking at Drifter from a story telling standpoint, it feels like two separate chapters of the same book. There is the internal monologue period early in the issue, and then there is the human interaction part of the story. While the monologue runs through the entire book, it changes when Abram Pollux gets some human interaction. Ivan Brandon packs the issue with witty dialogue from many of the characters, especially Carter. As the issue progresses, we’re intrigued to find out more about these characters who all seem to be a little off. Brandon allows the plot to thicken as Abram tries to recall who shot him and exactly how he got to this mysterious planet. Ivan leaves us with a big mystery on the final page that should keep readers interested for next month.

While Ivan Brandon’s script was very good, the art and colors of Nic Klein absolutely steal this issue. Klein uses amazing vision as he designs this planet and the creatures that live on it. The art is clean and crisp, and his colors really make the book a spectacle. There is a wonderful panel where Abram walks out of his tent and we get a lay of the land. Klein colors this perfectly as the sun is sinking and he uses the right mix of orange and yellow to convey the time of day. A truly awesome job in the art department from Nic Klein.

Drifter was a surprisingly excellent read this week. Sci-fi books can be confusing at times, but this one is easy to follow and well written to boot. Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein really blow the doors off with an exciting first issue. Having set the bar high, they will have to be on the top of their game to maintain this level of quality long term.