If the cover of Rook: Exodus #3 is any indication, it’s time to jack in and get a bit of perspective. Rook: Exodus is just one of a series of Ghost Machine comics aiming to build out a new sci-fi universe. In this series, Rook and Dire Wolf seek help as bear warden Ursaw is after them. Rook commands crow with his helmet, connecting him with the animals on a man-made planet, while Dire Wolf commands wolves with her helmet. They’re the last people left on a planet that has been evacuated, and even with doomsday looming, a power struggle is taking place that could get everyone killed.
Rook: Exodus #3 continues to build our knowledge of wardens and just how many commanding animals there are. It also further reveals what it means to connect with the animals, and now it’s not necessarily a one-way street. Picking up where we left off, Rook and Dire Wolf clearly have a past relationship yet to be revealed, and Rook may be one of the most contrarian wardens on the planet.
If you’re a new reader to the series, this issue opens with a solid catch-up via captions. It’s helpful for readers of the series, too, since it establishes key elements, although it’s a bit surprising we’re getting recap three issues deep.
That’s evident when Rook and Dire Wolf meet up with an elder warden who may be old enough to remember Earth before people were escaping it. There are layers of knowledge here. Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok can mine for reflective material, for sure. Mostly, though, characters keep their cards close to the vest.
A healthy recap to start the issue.
Credit: Image
Fabok continues to dazzle with his highly detailed art. He gets to show off a dam that’s been turned into a safe haven with a significant role with wardens. There’s something very cool about giant animals roaming about with people on their backs, which we get to see with some giant tortoises. A standout visual and dramatic scene reveals fourteen more wardens, which helps build out how big this cast might get. Visually, Fabok gives each one a techno-animal look that is pretty cool.
At this point it’s safe to say Rook: Exodus is mostly style with minimal substance. That doesn’t make the book bad, but it does feel like it’s trying to sell an idea that’s smaller than it thinks. People tied to animals is interesting enough, but why their connection matters to any larger story remains to be seen. This is even more of an issue when Rook jacks into a machine and sees other wardens. Why tech like this needs to exist and how it can help them is a bit confusing. I guess to find them, but why was it invented at all?
The premise is also fighting the fact that we’ve been told the world will end, yet characters seem fine existing there and not escaping. There’s got to be information not being conveyed to the reader yet. This is one of the bigger issues with this series: It’s so hesitant to reveal anything we feel like we’re in the dark for much of it.
If you like your sci-fi with big, bold, and blockbuster-caliber art, Rook: Exodus is for you. This isn’t a story-forward book, however, as it leans more into its mysteries than building out why it all matters.
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