Advance Review: Seven to Eternity #1

by Rick Remender, Jerome Opeña, Matt Hollingsworth and Rus Wooton

Seven to Eternity is something that… is hard to explain. Maybe that’s some of the rust talking (for lack of reviews from yours truly lately, not from these fine creators) or maybe that’s because this book is something else. Forgetting the story completely for a moment and doing this review thing a little differently than normal, let’s just talk about the visuals because for Seven to Eternity that’s, really, what hits you first. Even after you read the opening journal entry, for lack of a better term, Jerome Opeña and Matt Hollingsworth slap you in the face and demand your attention.

Opeña’s line work is the best of his career. And we’re talking about a guy with an insanely good resume who’s worked with some amazing characters, both his own and from other companies. Seven to Eternity feels like Remender and Opeña sat down and said, “Let’s just do some crazy shit and see what happens” and then Opeña went and literally drew some of the craziest shit he could come up with without being immediately placed in a padded room. Even in black and white (we’ll get to colors momentarily) these pages would blow any comic fan worth their salt away. They’re that good. It’s not even something describable, really, because it feels like it’s on a completely different level. Of course, nothing pushes those pencils and inks even further like Matt Hollingsworth colors.

From the very first panel, Hollingsworth slaps you in the face with an Eisner-winning palette. By panel three, if you’re not already blown out of the water, you might want to quit on comics altogether and stick with novels and your own imagination. Hollingsworth’s colors, page after page, intensify the already detailed and imaginative world to levels we rarely get to see in comics. It’s something that really needs to be studied and used as a measuring stick for future comics. Plus, plus, those letters from Rus Wooton? It’s yet another layer to the delicious, multifaceted cake that is Seven to Eternity. Most people pass over the letters on their comic books like it’s nothing and no work really went into it, but that’s a terrible view of the world. All parts of a completed comic take skill, patience and expertise and should be treated accordingly. But, enough preachy review, you get enough of that, no doubt. The point here is that, much like his fellow creators on this book, Wooton appears to go above and beyond and really make the letters leap off the page. They’re different; it’s a thing of beauty that adds depth to each character that speaks, and even something as simple as the comic book staple: the narratives.

Now: the story. This is Rick freakin’ Remender here. What else do you need to know? Fear Agent, Strange Girl, The End League, Black Science, Deadly Class, Low, Tokyo Ghost… do we have to continue here? Do we even need to continue here? Do we need to get into the rich character work that Remender has already put into this impressive first issue? Or the complex world he’s built with a history all its own? Okay, maybe we need to stop stating everything in the form of a question. Regardless, this is Rick Remender we’re talking about here and there is literally no downside to a book with his name on it.

Seven to Eternity has started off on the right foot and so far it’s setting itself up to be another feather in Remender’s overly feather filled cap. Opeña, Hollingsworth and Wooten, together, craft pages that only come around on rare occasions these days and even if you’re not into this genre of comics (epic fantasy action), you’ll get more than your money’s worth just staring, drooling and getting lost in these panels and character designs. Look, this book is shaping up to be something special–even with a resume like Remender has, and the books he and the rest of this crew have done. If you’re looking for something new to check out, Seven to Eternity should be on your list. Also, any of the books mentioned before. Seriously. In Remender we trust.