More questions than answers.
Creative Staff:
Story: Stephanie Phillips
Art: Tony Shasteen
Colors: JD Mettler
Letterer: Troy Peteri
What They Say:
When the Big One dropped on their house in 1957 the Cold War turned hot for the McClean family. Forced to contend with the literal fallout in a Wisconsin suffering from nuclear winter, where almost all civilization has been wiped from the map, the McCleans now have to wonder, is the year still 1957, or has something more shocking happened?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Nuclear Family delivered a really interesting look at events where you were wondering where it was going to go only to have the bombs drop at the end. It’s not an unfamiliar setup but the execution is where the details are and Stephanie Phillips is certainly making it so that like the characters, we’re unsure of exactly what’s going on and that adds an edge of nervousness. Tony Shasteen’s artwork only heightens that as it goes for the classic look of the 50s with its design overall and with Mettler’s colors it sells it incredibly well. I love the look of the book and the way the story is coming together with so many questions still.
The chaos in the McClean household is certainly earned as the military types call them commies and are pretty much close to accosting them as spies. Tim’s doing his best to hold things together but it gets weird when the soldier in charge pulls back his mask and it’s his coworker Dan. Except that it’s not since Dan is older and clearly doesn’t know Tim here, which fills us in on the likely basics of what’s going on here with an otherworldly story. There’s a lot of neat little moments with the soldiers in awe of what they’ve found in the house in terms of food and all but they’re also doing the job that they’re there for, which means hauling this group in to see what they really are all about. It’s a surprisingly smooth flow overall that lets Tim do his best to protect his family while also clearly not being able to overtake the soldiers.
The world outside is about as you’d expect with it in complete ruin, covered in a red haze, with the soldiers taking them to a massive facility that must have taken an age to build. I really like the way that we do get some people here that are willing to listen and ask questions with the Governor that arrives, as he even explains some of the recent past that has made this world what it is. The way the base became something to protect people and not just soldiers adds a little more color to it all as well which works nicely, but I love that it’s Robin who after seeing much of this asks the real question about what year it is. That they’re so different really makes you wonder which angle Phillips is going to go with for the story, time travel, alternate world, or something else, and I’m excited to see what the end goal is for something like this.
In Summary:
Nuclear Family definitely had my interest with the first issue and this one only heightens that. Phillips has me really curious which route they’re pursuing here and where they want to take it because, having read novels like it, it can go in so many ways. Shasteen’s artwork and Mettler’s color design just takes this to a whole other level – to the point where this should be a coffee-table-sized hardcover book release with heavy quality glossy paper to deliver the right feel for it. I’m excited to see where it intends to go next and what uncertainties will change direction on it because it’s got so much possibility.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: March 31st, 2021
MSRP: $4.99
