Review: BROKEN WORLD #1

Written By:  Frank J. Barbiere
Illustrated By:  Christopher Peterson
Colors By:  Marissa Louise
Letters By:  Ed Dukeshire
Published By:  BOOM! Studios

With a meteor days away from causing an extinction-level event on Earth, time is running out for Elena Marlowe. While most of the planet’s population and her family were approved by the government to escape on one of the giant spaceships headed to another planet, her application was denied due to her mysterious past. With the meteor fast approaching, Elena tries desperately to find a way to fake her way onto the last ship or else be left behind to die with the rest of Earth’s rejected denizens.

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What I Liked

The story of Broken World was straightforward without any unnecessary confusion tossed in for the sake of a surprise.  While there is a twist involved, it only helps to enhance the overall narrative.  Our point-of-view character (Elena) has a secret, which is what keeps her from not joining the life rafts off Earth.

Writer Frank J. Barbiere chooses to keep the cast calm in the face of annihilation.  A story like this would normally show society breaking down as people come to grips with their fates.  While there is some of that here, it is a small amount.  What we mostly get are glimpses of what fears they hide from one another.  Barbiere focuses on the one-on-one interactions that Elena has with her students and family.

The art team of Christopher Peterson, Marissa Louise, and Ed Dukeshire bring a fluid, clean style.  Emotions are prevalent on faces, along with differing color schemes for times of day and locations.  The real action is shown in the final pages, as the life rafts are setting for takeoff.  Explosions, acts of violence, and despair are all caught on the page, tugging at the reader’s heartstrings.

What I Didn’t Like

Elena goes to a man named Fletcher to obtain a fake ID so she can board a life raft.  Barbiere does such a good job with Fletcher that I wish he had a bigger role in the story.  Why does he not trust the government?

Although we pick up some details through the story (Elena being a teacher, Brian dating/married to Elena, but not the father of Danny, Fletcher’s distrust of the government), it still felt like more exposition would have made things clearer.  Especially Elena’s family dynamic.

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This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network.  They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/  

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE