Mass Effect is back! Mass Effect: Evolution is the new four-part series, based off the super amazing video game series, but this isn’t some cheap comic tie-in, these Mass Effect series by Dark Horse are legitimately awesome sci-fi stories. If you missed out on Mass Effect: Redemption, then shame on you! You won’t have to have read Redemption to follow this new epic, but Redemption is highly recommended anyway!
Mass Effect: Evolution #1
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Mac Walters and John Jackson Miller
Artists: Omar Francia and Manuel Silva
Cover: Massimo Carnevale, alternate cover by Joe Quinones
“Damn!” That was my reaction to this first issue after only the first few pages. Mac Walters (head writer of the Mass Effect games) and John Jackson Miller reprise their writer duties for the new Mass Effect comic, and waste very little time jumping into the action.
If you’ve never played the games, but are familiar with most things sci-fi, then you’ll have no problem falling in love with this series. Mass Effect: Evolution begins on the planet Shanxi with the humans battling the Turians, and the humans not looking so good. With things looking bleak, the military entrusts a group of non-military specialists to continue the fight, and find what it is the Turians are after on Shanxi, while the military has no choice but to retreat.
I was happy how quickly the human main characters became likable without feeling cheesy, but not without that perfect slight B movie quality. This is actually what I like best about Evolution over Redemption: the human main characters. Redemption’s alien main character, T’soni, was cool, but I’m finding myself appreciating a human character to cheer for more. This story runs a lot deeper than just the heroic humans beating up the mean aliens, but I’ll let you figure that out for yourself.
Omar Francia returns to art duties for Evolution, and I had to double check the penciler credit after the first few pages, because this art is so much more remarkable than his work in Redemption. His work in the last series was great, but had this cartoonish quality to it; however with Evolution, his human characters are much more life like, and his aliens are even more stunning than before.
Honestly, I kind of feel weird not being able to find something to complain about with this issue. The leader of our hero human group, Jack, kind of feels like a Han Solo/Mal rip-off, but that fits in great with the aforementioned perfect B movie quality of the book that I love so much.
If you’re not into hardcore sci-fi, this book won’t change your mind, but if you are, it’s absolutely worth every cent of the cover price.
Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net
@andrewEhurst
Argh! I can’t believe I didn’t pick that up last week.
Still, it’s good to know that they did a fine job with ME:E. Sounds more intriguing than the first one, which was more for people like myself who played the games.
I just might have to check this out seeing as how I loved the 2nd game but admittingly I’ve never played the 1st one.
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