Descender #28 Review
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by: Dustin Nguyen
Lettered and Designed by: Steve Wands
Published by: Image Comics
Review by Cory Webber
Descender #28 finally pulls the curtain back and reveals the meaning of the book’s title. Now, this would usually bother me, but the story telling has been so riveting and expansive that it hadn’t been much of a concern. I’ve enjoyed the pace at which Lemire has plotted this sci-fi space adventure.
THE WORDS
In Descender #28 we get to see Master Professor Osris’ experience with the machines. And how it all eventually leads to the present-day story with Tim-21 and company. His time on this planet is told to us via a letter to his son that he left back on Ostrakon. The majority of his writings deal with the history of the machines as Osris tries to learn as much about them. He even goes as far as cataloguing as many of their robots as he can, in order to try and reverse engineer them. What could go wrong with that?! Nothing! I’m pretty certain of it!
Okay, maybe not super certain, but what could wrong? He is a human being and a curious scientist/academic, to boot. Oh, wait, yeah, I can see why there might be some cause for concern…but I digress…
Lemire has taken these last two issues to peel back some layers and give us a peek into the past. They offer insight into why this story is where we last left it, and just how far back the machine versus man dispute has been going on. However, Lemire puts such a unique, fresh spin on the possible origin of the machines. And, maybe, the greatest development comes at the end when we learn where little ol’ Tim-21 fits in the grand scheme of things.
The Art
Nguyen’s art continues to impress here. His line work is super limited. This gives way for the water colors to really stand out and give his art shape and motion, which gives it a unique look and feel. His art is such a perfect fit for this story. It makes me feel like this story is a possible alternate future — vaguely familiar and somehow relatable, yet as foreign and distant as the deep cosmos themselves.
Then, there is the lettering. Wands does a superb job with his choices of fonts and balloon placement. There is no confusion on how the story is to be read, and no unecessary blocking of good art.
Verdict:
Read this book already! Lemire and Nguyen have created something special here, and this issue proves that they have had this story laid out from the get-go. The ending sets up the finale, while at the same time, reveals a missing piece that nicely puts together the Descender puzzle, up to this point.
