Port of Earth #1
Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: Image Comics
A Review by Greg Brothers
Alien invasions. They’re the backdrop of so many sci-fi themed books, movies, shows, and yes even comics. Most of those invasions involve the aliens coming for some nefarious reason as they look to either take over or destroy Earth. But what if when the aliens arrived they instead were just looking for trade partners? Well if you pick up Port of Earth #1 then you are about to find that out.
In Port of Earth #1, aliens have come to earth. They have been able to create ships that run on water, and with their technology water can be turned easily into a power source. Things overall are going well until a group of aliens heads into San Francisco where an incident leads to the death of several of Earths residents. Enter the Earth Security Agency who are created to protect both Earthling and aliens alike.
Finally, after sixteen pages of set up and foundation laying we meet our two main heroes of the book, McIntyre and Rice. McIntyre plays the bad cop role with his disdain towards the aliens worn on his sleeve and his desire to shoot on sight. Meanwhile Rice plays the good cop who plays by the rules and seeks understanding and diplomacy. It is a combination that works well even if it is a bit predictable.
The art is a little grey and allot gritty, but it works. The designs of the characters are realistic, and the weapons have a futuristic feel. One thing that I really appreciated was the extras after the main story. The creative team breaks down and gives information about each of the different kind of aliens races and how far their home planet is away from Earth. It is something small, but it adds to the depth of these characters that are seen throughout the book.
Verdict:
Buy! Port of Earth #1 is expositional, but it works. The use of news drones following the ESA agents keeps it from feeling as if they are doing an info dump. Instead it leads to the feel of a documentary, where the stars of the show are explaining what they are doing next. If the rest of the series continues like this, then Kaplan should have another hit on his hands.
