An intelligent, amazing look at life after the apocalypse.
Creators:
Writer: Brian Wood
Artists: Kristian Donaldson Garry Brown, and J. P. Leon
Colors: Dave Stewart
Lettering: Jared K. Fletcher
What They Say:
In this first volume of Brian Wood’s new, sprawling postapocalyptic epic, follow the crew of the Kapital from the flooded remnants of Hong Kong to Unalaska, with stops in Antarctica and Mogadishu, as post-Crash ethics and economics are explored across a broken world. Collecting issues #1–#6 of the series, plus three eight page stories from Dark Horse Presents.
The Review:
Callum “Cal” Israel is the leader of the Ninth Wave, a Greenpeace-like organization devoted to protecting the oceans and its inhabitants from ecological incursions by human beings. Although the Ninth Wave is a pacifist organization—as mandated by Israel—it does take a much more direct route when dealing with whalers and polluters, earning them the label of environmental terrorist. However, the environment appears to be fighting back as a series of natural disasters have occurred one after the other, devastating the world governments and changing the physical and geopolitical landscape irreversibly.
One would think that protecting the oceans would matter little after the apocalypse, but Cal doesn’t believe that his mission has changed. His vessel, the Kapital, still patrols international waters, protecting the environment and searching for its larger sister vessel, The Massive.
The Massive is one of those series that has garnered near-universal acclaim and now that I’ve read it I can see why. This is a smart series with well-rounded, engaging characters; excellent art; and a global sensibility that is often lacking in American comics today.
Each issue follows the same pattern: it relates the Kapital’s current adventure in its search for The Massive, it provides more information on the various natural disasters and how they have affected the geo-political landscape, and it gives glimpses of backstory that flesh out the backstory of the main characters. The back-and-forth of narratives from three different time periods (the present, the recent past, and the further past) could be potentially confusing, but Wood, Donaldson, and Brown do an excellent job of weaving them together into one cohesive story with Stewart’s colors providing contextual clues that indicate what portions take place in the past. This series seems set up for the slow reveal, as each issue gives the reader a greater insight into the characters and the setting, and it gives just enough while retaining a core of mystery that it quickly captures readers and makes them want to return for more.
One of the more impressive aspects of this series (which is sort of like picking the best French wine—no matter what you pick, you’re going to get something good) is the level of thought behind the physical and geopolitical ramifications of numerous natural disasters. This is a global comic, and the shifts of power it presents especially in relation to the nature of economics seem entirely plausible. It’s also very non-American in that The United States plays practically no role so far, and only one character is even identified as American. This provides a refreshing standpoint for me, I suppose, because it highlights the global nature of this catastrophe. Callum Israel is a white man born in Bangladesh, his second, Mag Nagendra, was born in Komari and was a child soldier, and Cal’s lover Mary is a complete cypher with no date of birth or country of origin. For all we know she may have come straight from the sea, and there are actually indications that this may actually be the case. To delve further into their backgrounds would ruin the fun of reading this series.
In Summary:
I’m not quite certain where The Massive is going. It could be a series centered more around the setting than the plot, but there are enough hints to indicate that there is something larger and more focused that it’s working toward. Honestly, either way I’m in it for the long haul as this is just an impressive series. The intelligence of the writing, the tri-part narrative structure, the engaging characters, and the strength of the art make this a must-read for comic fans looking for something different. Highly recommended.
Grade: A+
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