Innards is the kind of title that immediately captures your interest right from the title. Then you see the creative team, and you’ll be locked in. From the creators behind Mosley, Ignition Press’s new series launches this week, casting readers into a sci-fi narrative where a catastrophic nuclear attack has left humanity hanging by a thread, save for the last energy source known as Lucifium. To get to it, you must teleport deep in the Earth, but what is the corporation hiding, and is the energy source just a mineral or something more?
Innards #1 is easily one of my favorite series launches this year. It introduces a dark future that’s recognizable as our own, serving as a warning with plenty of sci-fi weirdness thrown in for fun.
At the start, we’re introduced to Roy, a character who is about to have a baby, but with limited resources, he must enter an extremely dangerous job to provide for his family. Born long after the nukes were dropped, every drop of oil was vaporized, leaving the world dangerously close to extinction, save for Lucifium keeping the world turning. The corporation that mines it features a power-button logo that’s slightly ominous, but fairly quickly, we learn the work they do is far worse than that.
Credit: Ignition Press
Rob Guillory plots a good issue, quickly introducing us to the world and then diving headlong into our main character’s first mission to mine the mineral. We’re efficiently introduced to an eclectic crew of miners who must teleport into the Earth to find the mineral. Subtle hints that the teleportation tech isn’t the best, like moles appearing on different parts of your body, add to the danger factor.
Artist Sam Lotfi does a great job with the teleportation scene, zapping our characters with crazy electric effects across a double-page layout. The use of sickly greens by Jean-Francois Beaulieu is great, adding to the weirdness and danger. Once deep underground, Lotfi’s expressive character expressions work well with the limited lighting. There’s something extremely cinematic about the visuals, from the cool miner suits to the way the helmet’s lighting works.
Credit: Ignition Press
As the story builds towards its big cliffhanger, the creative team seeds plenty of elements, including the corporation pressing to meet the quota and a miner’s loss of his partner. The basic setup is already a bit creepy and weird, but the cliffhanger sends things off into a monster/ghost area that should be fun to unpack in the second issue.
Innards #1 is a standout launch that wastes no time pulling you into its world. Rob Guillory builds a future that feels unsettlingly close to reality, then layers in strange tech and corporate horror to keep things unpredictable. The emotional hook with Roy gives the story weight, while the mining mission delivers tension and intrigue. By the time the issue hits its final pages, it shifts into something even more unsettling, setting up a second issue that feels essential. Backed by strong, atmospheric art, this is a confident and memorable start.
You must be logged in to post a comment.