The idea that kids will inherit our battles and will be forced to fight them is not a new one. It appears enough in fiction to be considered a deeply rooted generational fear about how humanity is authoring its own destruction and thus needs to be rescued by its youngest members. BOOM! Studios’ new series, Eve, considers this same set of circumstances, but the devil’s in the details, and writer Victor LaValle has made sure things shine enough in that department to set itself apart from the rest.
Eve tells the story of a young black girl who emerges from a stasis tank only to meet an android teddy bear called Wexler that tells her she has to save the world after it was ravaged by global climate change. And that’s just the beginning.
Vibrantly illustrated by Jo Mi-Gyeong, the comic goes on to set up global devastation as the new normal, but not a permanent one if Eve and Wexler have anything to say about it. There’s a very lived-in feel to the setting in Eve. Every panel is given the chance to substantially add to the worldbuilding and Mi-Gyeong’s clever inclusion of everyday objects strewn around the environment gives everything a layered sense of story.
Brittany Peer’s colors are surprisingly restrained and do an excellent job of keeping the environmental aspect of the story seem grounded in reality, especially during its most sci-fi moments. Even Wexler comes across as a semi-realistic invention that occupies a plausible physical space along with Eve. It’s truly an accomplishment considering the book has a YA look about it that initially gives it a cartoony vibe.
LaValle’s script seems interested in allowing Eve to actually embody the idea of salvation in regards to our broken planet. Unlike other post-apocalyptic tales of this kind, Eve presents its Earth-saving mission as a real possibility, one that can bring about change and harmony between humanity and nature if the former learns how to take care of the latter.
I would be making the new comic a disservice if I didn’t mention that Wexler, the android teddy bear, is likely to burrow into readers’ hearts and never leave. Unless this is all a ploy to later reveal he’s an evil character or that he’s going to sabotage Eve, Wexler’s design and the amount of emotion it allows him to express is sure to help him become a fan favorite. Issue #1 already presents him as a character that one hopes survives all the way to the end.
Eve herself is also easy to root for. She’s very aware of her emotional state and comes across as mature beyond her age. LaValle makes her and Wexler’s dialogue transpire in a serious manner as well. The book isn’t afraid to make readers interact with big ideas that require a higher degree of thought. It’s never inaccessible, but nothing is sacrificed for the sake of simplicity.
With a final page that’s sure to get readers excited about what’s coming next, Eve #1 is the start of what looks to be an entirely different kind of environmental storytelling. Its characters are instantly likable and the setting carries enough visual flair to distinguish it from some of the other stories on the market. Eve is the type of comic you open a subscription box for.
Story: Victor LaValle Art: Jo Mi-Gyeong
Color: Brittany Peer Letterer: Andworld Design
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
