Like a Song: Oblivion Song

A decade ago, Philadelphia suffered a horrific even in which strange monsters flooded the city. When it was all over, a large chunk of the city and about 300,000 citizens were gone, pulled into an alternate world called the “Oblivion” and leaving a barren wasteland in our world. The government tried to retrieve them, but over time, it got to be to costly with little return.  But three individuals kept working to find people.  Without funding their equipment is getting unreliable, but Nathan Cole is determined to find proof that his brother is either alive or dead.  After saving a couple from a large beast, he believes they may be able to get funding , only to find the government is less than receptive to the idea.

Robert Kirkman’s first new comic since ending Invincible is a pretty solidly realized concept.  It has a rather fascinating concept at play, and Kirkman gives a painfully real look at a world where people have moved on after a massive tragedy, paying lip service to the lost through monuments and “never forget” style news stories.

Nathan is compelling in his determination.  He finds it hard to get any support because everyone believes if his brother was not among those lost, he would not be as passionate about finding and bringing people back.  Even his wife is not sure what his motives are.  She wants to believe him. Meanwhile, his team of Bridgette and Duncan (a married pair of scientists) have their own struggles. Duncan had been trapped in Oblivion and was saved, but he deals with PTSD due to his stay.

The couple saved by Nathan in the first issue reveal that there is a community of survivors out there…but they don’t want to be found.  In the second issue, we discover that they have been watching Nathan on his trips to Oblivion…and don’t think he is up to any good.

The art by Lorenzo De Felici is giving the book a unique look.  It has a remarkable simplicity, yet has enough detail to give Oblivion a unique and alien look (all the while showing the burned out remains of the city).

The monsters that populate the Oblivion have look all their own, large and brutish, like nightmarish dinosaurs and the creatures you can only see through a microscope in our reality.

I like the coloring choices of Annalisa Leoni.  She gives Oblivion a look that is simultaneously muted and yet colorful.

Two issues in and I am greatly enjoying Krikman’s latest offering.  He and De Felici are creating a tale that is intriguing to watch unfold.