Gone #1
Seth A. Romo
Recap
On an impoverished and distant planet, where menial workers scratch out a living resupplying starships, the best place to be is GONE...and that's exactly where 13-year-old ABI wants to be.
Along with her street-tough friends, Abi stows away on a colossal luxury space-liner for a chance at a better life. Unbeknownst to her, some of her "friends'' are not who they seem. Abi suddenly finds herself branded a saboteur as she desperately struggles to evade the ship's deadly crew and to stay alive!
Review
Gone #1 is the first series to be published by DSTLRY publishing and is sure to hook readers within the first few pages. With a tense story, excellent art, and layers of commentary sprinkled throughout, this sci-fi series may be titled, Gone, but it’s certainly sure to stay a top premiere issue for 2023.
The issue begins with the introduction of the “Sun-East Settlement,” an impoverished location filled with people doing their best to survive. Abi, a young scavenger and leader amongst her friends, comes up with a plan to steal from the supply rich vessels that cover the settlement with debris and pollution. After the deal goes bad, she ends up stuck on the ship taking her far away from home.
For a series with a focus on world building a distant location and interstellar travel, the theme of humanity and survival fills the 40 plus pages of this premiere issue. It’s an issue that deserves multiple read-throughs as Jock, the writer and artist, does a phenomenal job at putting small details in the art.
From a writing perspective, the story is definitely intriguing. Abi is a likable character, although there are some moments that are not quite as clear as to what is happening. Luckily, this is not a story that is meant to be consumed quickly but appreciated with the wonderful visuals. Overall the writing is strong and there is certainly a story here that will hook readers who want to follow Abi on her journey far from home.
Jock’s previous writing stint was with Batman: One Dark Knight, and it’s evident his flexing of writing skills is quickly matching his artistic ones.
As far as the art, Jock’s work, along with colors from Lee Loughridge, is meant to be appreciated. It isn’t just panels for the sake of a story, but his style is enjoyed in large format and Loughridge colors bring out the roughness of the land and characters in the story. I found myself pausing from the story to just appreciate the details and design from the two. This collectively made for a great experience and has been psyched to see what the next issue has in story.
Final Thoughts
DSTLRY’s first issue of Devil’s Cut may have showcased writers and artists, but this premiere series for the publisher is certainly setting a high standard for what's to come from the company. I’m a big believer in creator owned content because of the possibilities they provide and I am happy to say Jock isn’t just going to be known for his art, but also for his writing.
Gone #1: Surviving Amongst the Stars
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10
