The first issue of Deep State established the characters into an X-Files like world, and already by the second it is changing into something a little bit different.  The basic format is there, with the two government agents who know more than most about the unexplained, but the nature of the unexplained takes on a different approach here.  The first issue introduced the alien inhabiting the body of the Russian cosmonaut, and here that story is expanded on and built up into something a little different and by incorporating a few separate genres into the one story.

By the second issue there are already a couple of trends developing in this series, and it is along the lines of basic techniques in writing.  When a story is to succeed, it needs either engaging characters or an engaging concept, though ideally both.  In this case already it is evident that without some changes that the two agents will be somewhat static characters in this series, instead of a lot of character development, they will deal with the interesting concepts.  Thus while the interweaving of the various genres of sci-fi and horror is well conceived, two dimensional characters are driving it forward.

This makes it occasionally hard to enjoy this otherwise engaging series.  If the characters were more peripheral to the story then it might meant that it was easier to focus instead of the sci-fi concepts, but already by this point, some of the victims are more engaging than the two leads.  While there is of course room to grow for these two, it also doesn’t seem like they are on the right track.  The little bit of engaging dialogue between them is stifled by an overly seriously bureaucratic attitude in the writing which doesn’t help either.  There is still enough here for this series to succeed, only that it could easily be in the rare field of having both engaging characters and an amazing concept.  For the time being the readers of this series will have to be happy with one and not the other, though the payoff for the one half is still worth it.

Story: Justin Jordan  Art: Ariela Kristantina
Story:  7.8 Art: 8.3  Overall: 7.8  Recommendation: Read

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.