Most parents say they would move heaven and earth for their child. In the case of Sam and Duncan LaMarr, the protagonists of Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo’s The Moon is Following Us #1, it means taking on the creatures known as the Conclave to save their daughter, Penny. They even have help from unlikely sources, including a wizard and the frog man Brio…but danger lurks around every corner.
The Moon is Following Us #1 jumps right into the action, and Rossmo doesn’t miss a beat when illustrating this weird, wild world. Both Sam and Duncan are sporting different sets of futuristic armor; Sam’s is complete with a large curving set of horns, while Duncan’s might pass for a futuristic military uniform save for the massive claw encasing his left hand. The rest of the world takes on a frentic, animated vibe under Rossmo’s eye; the standout has to be Brio, who makes a crown and an eye patch classy (not to mention a badass moment with a mini-gun.)
This world is also given bright, vibrant colors by Mike Spicer, who drenches the page in bright splashes of green, pink, blue and every other color in between. Spicer’s colors make you truly believe that this is a whole other world, which is the same approach he’s taken to Johnson’s work on Transformers. It’s also very pleasing to the eye – most of these colors should clash, but they work together surprisingly well.
But it’s the weapons the LaMarrs use that say a lot about them, and their differing approaches to rescuing their daughters. Duncan’s claw arm acts as a defensive shield; he’s often willing to take a strategic approach and avoid conflict. Sam, on the other hand, prefers to barrel in and let her weaponry do the talking for her. Their dialogue also suggests that this divide has had an effect on their marriage, which opens the possibility of roadblocks in their quest.
Image Comics
This characterization through conflict – and very often in combat – is a trademark of Johnson’s writing style, which not only keeps the story flowing but keeps it engaging. This makes the last couple of pages, which are also drawn by Johnson, all the more interesting: they throw everything you’ve seen up to this point in question, but also make sure that you’ll pick up future issues to find out what the hell is going on.
A great comic often has amazing art, stellar scripting, a unique premise, or a top notch creative team. The Moon is Following Us #1 has all of the above. It’s two creators at the top of their games, delivering a story with human weight in a fantastic setting and delivering an ending that no one saw coming. That’s great comics in my book.
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