Incursion #1
Writers: Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Colourists: José Villarrubia, Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Publisher: Valiant
Review by Josh Rose
Gilad the Eternal Warrior is Earth’s chosen champion, and Tama the Geomancer is the latest mystic who communicates with Earth. They’ve saved the world from calamities several times over the years. But Incursion #1 is the first time that Earth has had an alien invasion coming not from the stars but from the Deadside, Valiant’s version of the Underworld. And their leader is seeking immortality.
The first thing Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel have done in Incursion #1 is introduce us to the players. They show us who the invaders are, why they are invading Earth, and what happened to the last planet they invaded. Right off the bat they tell us what the stakes are, and they’re pretty damn high. Then we get to know Tama and Gilad, who they are, and a bit of what their personalities are like. Then readers get launched into the first stages of the invasion.
Doug Braithwaite’s art is perfect for this series. Its a beautiful mix of realistic and weird. Gilad’s and Tama’s expressions are so realistic; it’s easy to understand that she’s afraid that something is wrong. The alien invaders look unique from one another just as we humans do, but there’s no mistaking these aliens for anything other than otherworldly. Some of them look like alien zombies. ALIEN ZOMBIES!
José Villarrubia’s and Diego Rodriguez’s colours only make this book more beautiful. Braithwaite’s art is good made amazing here. The aliens on Earth look haunting like death is coming for everyone because of the soft blue around them. I would say that the big difference between Earth and the alien planet would be the use of purples, yellows, and cyan on the alien world. Meanwhile, Earth utilizes more oranges and greens. The colours get more vibrant when geomancing happens.
The Verdict: Buy It.
Incursion #1 is kind of your traditional alien invasion story. Aliens come in, leech Earth’s resources a la Galactus style, et cetera. But it’s unique for where the invasion is coming from. Usually it’s demons coming from hell and aliens from the stars, not aliens from hell. And this time Earth has champions it can use to fight back. What I’m looking forward to in the future is seeing the parallels drawn between the two “immortals.” Best thing about this? No prior Valiant experience necessary.
