Paradiso #1
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Devmalya Pramanik
Colorists: Dearbhla Kelly, Alex Sollazzo
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
A review by Samantha Pearson
Paradiso #1 lays down the exposition for what is sure to be one of Image’s best new sci-fi series. The story follows Jack Kryznan centuries after The Midnight Event changed the world forever. When he was a child, Jack used to hide in the back of the tinkerman’s shack from monsters; now, he’s utilizing skills he learned from the tinkerman to get a much-coveted ticket into the city of Paradiso.
The concept of Paradiso is clearly based on the third act of Dante’s Divine Comedy, wherein, guided by Beatrice, Dante makes his way through the spheres of Heaven. Of course, Paradiso has significantly more technology and is less directly concerned with God. This comic is science fiction at its best — Devmalya Pramanik’s art is steampunk in its aesthetic and very dark. The sketchy, pencil and ink quality of the linework is gorgeous and fits the theme of the story really well.
Ram V’s writing is equally dark. Paradiso #1 jumps into things in media res, with a brief flashback setting up Jack’s story before diving into the present. We’re presented with people inside Paradiso city and outside of it. The differences between them are explained through dialogue, though not all of it is clear in this first issue. Context clues in the dialogue establish the stakes of the plot… And the one obvious thing is that trying to get to Paradiso is very, very dangerous.
So, what happens once you’re inside?
Paradiso #1 does a lot of legwork in less than 30 pages. Typically, world-building in high fantasy or hard sci-fi comics is a monstrous task, and one issue simply isn’t enough unless every page is packed with information. Ram V and Devmalya Pramanik manage to establish what’s going on here without overwhelming the reader, which is both good and bad. The vagueness is intriguing, but might get frustrating if it stretches through too many issues. I don’t think that will be a problem — the pacing of this first issue says that both creators have a clear trajectory for Jack’s story, and it’s one I definitely want to keep following.
I also want to call out colorists Dearbhla Kelly and Alex Sollazzo, for utilizing black in a really incredible way. The pages of Paradiso #1 are dark and moody. Bright colors emphasize character expressions, lighting changes, and action sequences, as well as important pieces of tech. The execution is amazing. Likewise, letterer Aditya Bidikar does great work emphasizing important bits of dialogue and onomatopoeias. Reading this issue is a breeze; re-reading it allowed me to pick up on tons of details I missed the first time, which is the kind of thing I love. I imagine a third read-through will be in order before the second issue is released, and I’m looking forward to it all in a big way.
Verdict:
Buy it! Paradiso #1 hits comic stores on December 6, 2017, and it’s one you definitely won’t want to miss. It’s going to be a book I follow closely as we slide into 2018. If you like sci-fi, steampunk, big monsters, or questions of humanity, I highly suggest you check it out!
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