News From the Fallout #1 is one of those comics that’ll be seared into your mind long after you close it. Part of that comes from the story Chris Condon concocts: in 1962, a secret army base launches a nuclear test that goes horribly wrong, transforming everyone unlucky enough to be in the fallout into horrific monsters. Only one soldier, Private Fallows, manages to survive – but will he be able to outrun the nuclear nightmares plaguing this radioactive wasteland?
Even before the nuclear bomb goes off, News From the Fallout #1 manages to sow the seeds for a compelling mystery. A general sprouts disturbing speeches that verge on the biblical, and orders his troops to stand in the fallout of a nuclear test. Whatever transformed the soldiers into their monstrous forms didn’t just drive them into a murderous rage, but it also makes them bulletproof. Condon’s work on That Texas Blood and Ultimate Wolverine were built on similar mysteries, and once again he’s hooked me.
But the other half of News From the Fallout #1, and what really makes it scary, is Jeffrey Allan Love’s artwork. Love keeps the majority of the book shrouded in shadows, only reflecting light off of surfaces like a corporal’s glasses or Fellows’ gas mask. It creates an eerie effect that’s only amplified by the radiation-fueled creatures; they tower over everything in their path, their mouths a jagged abyss of hate and their fingers transformed into long, twisting claws. In a way, they feel like a living version of the “shadows” left behind in the fallout from Hiroshima, reinforcing the horrors of nuclear warfare.
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Another standout is Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, whose lettering will grab readers as much as the art. Otsmane-Elhaou changes the size and the shape of the word balloons depending on who’s talking; a private bellowing orders grows large enough to fill the entire screen, while a soldier slowly choking has what can only be described as a “dripping” effect. This extends to News From the Fallout‘s backmatter, which includes a menu from a diner Fellows hides out in and a military telegram. Both feel like they could actually exist in the real world, which shows the level of detail Otsmane-Elhaou is bringing to the table.
What makes News From the Fallout #1 truly stand out, though, is its color – or lack thereof. The entire issue is painted in a stark black and white, but rather than a lack of detail, this provides plenty of it. Take the nuclear explosion: not only does it create a massive mushroom cloud, but the levels of textures that Love utilizes in his artwork makes it feel like there’s actual clouds of dirt being kicked up. It’s an image that’s equal parts awe-inspiring and horrifying.
News From The Fallout #1 is a comic that’s equal parts sci-fi mystery and nuclear fueled nightmare, searing itself into the reader’s brain via its disturbing imagery and compelling story. Every year, there’s a series that leaps out and grabs my attention. News From the Fallout is that series, and if Condon and Love keep it up, this could be one of the best comics I’ve read this year.
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