In the year 2112, Earth is destroyed. The apocalypse and meltdown of society has happened but much later than so many predictions. But, what if you could stop it by traveling to the past? That’s the concept presented in Earthdivers #1 but instead of some minor event, what must be changed is huge. The goal? Stopping Christopher Columbus and the “discovery” of America.

Written by Stephen Graham Jones, Earthdivers #1 is a new and nice twist on a familiar concept and story. And with that interesting twist and the tense story presented, Jones delivers a hell of a debut that should get folks talking. What works so well about the comic is its split storytelling and the details it focuses on.

Earthdivers #1 doesn’t linger on the specifics of time travel, just its possible and that it’s one-way. Who is sent and why is laid out, with a logic that feels like Jones himself has really thought through what would be needed. We’re also presented with an individual who isn’t perfect. While he’s good with languages, something needed, he often has trouble keeping straight which should be spoken. While he’s supposed to be a sailor, he fumbles with simple tasks like knots raising suspicion. It’s small things like those that deliver a tense thread that goes throughout the comic. How will the mission succeed? Will it? Will our time traveler be found out and thrown overboard?

Then there’s the individuals in the future. How do they discover if the mission was successful or not? That delivers a lot of discussion, something that’s not often brought up in these types of stories. Will the world change around them? Will they go about their timeline? It’s all interesting and a new aspect for readers to ponder. Maybe Columbus was stopped but it didn’t change anything? These are the type of details that’ll have people coming back for more.

The art by Davide Gianfelice is solid. The comic looks great with a nice balance between the eras. There’s also solid detail in the past to make you feel like it is indeed that time period. I myself couldn’t say how accurate the dress, ship, and other things are, but it all felt like a nice trip to the past. Giangelice is joined by Joana Lafuente on color and Steve Wands on lettering. It all comes together in a way that’s entertaining to look at and enhances the tense nature and slight paranoia of the story.

Earthdivers #1 kicks off a nice time travel “what if” type of story. Its focus is what makes it stand out keeping readers guessing what might happen next. While the overall idea isn’t anything new (kill someone to change the future), how it’s presented feels different and fresh and makes it a debut that’s well worth checking out.

Story: Stephen Graham Jones Art: Davide Gianfelice
Color: Joana Lafuente Letterer: Steve Wands
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle