Rook: Exodus Review
Summary: This book is a rich opening act to what is hopefully a long sci-fi epic. The art is gorgeous, the characters are intriguing, and while we don’t know much about the actual world beyond its basics, I'm sure we are going to learn a lot more about Exodus in the coming issues. Out of the 3 books, I’d probably have to rate this one first, then Geiger, and then Redcoat. Ghost Machine is off to a great start.
5
Birds, pigs & bears oh my!
Background – Humanity likes destroying planets.
Writing – Humanity realized the Earth was dying so they found a new world and colonized it. Unfortunately, this new world, renamed “Exodus” is also dying, and has been almost completely abandoned, except for a few people named Wardens. Wardens have this cool ability to control a certain sect of overgrown Earth wildlife that was brought with them to Exodus. This ability manifests itself through a helmet the warden wears which taps into the slowly dying World Engine that powers the world.
The wardens we meet in this issue are:
Rook: Our main character, he can control all the birds on the planet. Rook left Earth after his father’s farm was burned to the ground in suspicious circumstances. The sound of the birds in his mind, the overall deteriorating condition of the planet, and general loneliness have left him a shell of the man he once was. He drinks to silence the voices.
Swine: Able to control hogs, pigs, and the like, Swine is content on Exodus. He has no desire to leave and unlike Rook, who views his animals as nothing more than tools, Swine sees his … Swine as family. By the end of the issue, he is in VERY rough shape.
Ursa: While not much is known about Ursa just yet, he can control the bears on the planet and wants nothing more than to take all of the other wardens down. He’s big, he’s strong, and really quite violent.
Geoff John’s has obviously been reborn with the opening of Ghost machine. He’s able to delve into things that he just wasn’t able to do at DC with normal heroes. Bringing topics like alcoholism, planet wide destruction, the meaning of family, and possible mental illness to the forefront, he has just started delving into these character’s minds.
Artwork – Jason Fabok has almost exclusively been known for his DC work, especially the Three Jokers story, but he has now stepped fully into the world of drawing things nobody has ever drawn before. Giant pigs are strange looking but adorable, a massive bear is the scariest bear I’ve seen in years (and yes, that includes the bear from Cocaine Bear), and the birds are ominous The world looks beautiful in its crumbling nature, obviously showing how this world was once a paradise and now is decaying at an alarming rate. The two-page vista of what used to be what I can only describe as downtown is the highlight of the book’s art. It’s a mixture of New York, the Fifth Element, and a burned-out husk.
Final Thoughts – This book is a rich opening act to what is hopefully a long sci-fi epic. The art is gorgeous, the characters are intriguing, and while we don’t know much about the actual world beyond its basics, I’m sure we are going to learn a lot more about Exodus in the coming issues. Out of the 3 books, I’d probably have to rate this one first, then Geiger, and then Redcoat. Ghost Machine is off to a great start.
Comic Details
Publisher: Ghost Machine (Image)
Creators: Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Genre: Sci-Fi
Format: Monthly
Release Date: 04/03/2024
About the Author
Matt Fischer Lover of all things nerdy. Reader of Comics for over 25 years. DC encyclopedia. X-Men historian. Spider-Man and Marvel lover. Indie side guy.
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