Outer Darkness #7 // Review
John Layman, of Image Comic’s Chew fame, returns with Afu Chan of Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists for issue seven of Outer Darkness. Layman continues the space opera, unlike any other. He brings the reader to a universe that meshes science, magic, and the religions found across the galaxy.
The Galactic Service is in a centuries-old war against a race called the Dryx. The protagonist, Captain Joshua Rigg, has been placed in command of the most advanced ship in the fleet, the Charon. Upon taking command, Rigg comes in almost complete opposition to his crew of officers and can only trust his Vodun priest, Agwe. In this issue, Rigg continues to further agitate his crew even amongst rumors of a mutiny.
The crew of the Charon comes across a rescue mission that is several centuries old and from Earth. Rigg decides to conduct the rescue despite protests from the crew. On previous missions, several crew members met their end. Unbeknownst to the crew, Rigg has his own agenda while fulfilling the overall mission for the Galactic Service.
Layman knows how to build tension. Each panel, the reader can feel the tension building. Each conversation between each officer or argument that ensues when Rigg walks into the room adds to that atmosphere. Layman does a great job at keeping the reader guessing while slowly filling the keg with gunpowder. Each character seems to have an agenda which Layman knows when to bring back for a later issue. While he offers wonderful dialogue, character development, and world-building, there is enough action in this issue to keep any reader satisfied.
Afu Chan continues to get better during each issue. His art style is clear. Anyone familiar with his work can spot it a mile away. Chan excels with the facial features of characters during intense emotional scenes and ensuring the reader knows who is who. Drawing characters of the same species without the reader having to figure out who that person is.
While Outer Darkness doesn’t necessarily break new ground, the writing and artwork are top-notch. With an intriguing and enjoyable and scandalous of characters, It seems as if Layman has more to come.
