review

Prophet #22

21/02/2012

The second issue from the updated 90′s series, Brandon Graham and Simon Roy continue to deliver a unique book, even for Image. John Prophet, last time, emerged in the distant future where Earth is run by primitive bug-like beings in a post-apocalyptic world (hey look at that, I managed to describe the book. No easy feat). He’s forced to join an alien caravan to get across the ancient, defunked robot filled desert. He works to pay his passage, shoveling the excrement of one of the massive creatures that brings them through the desert into the stomach of the one connected behind. He soon runs into trouble, while diverging further from the plan to restart the god satellite, by getting involved in the beings ways.

Prophet is strange, action filled, violent, rough, grim and refreshing. There’s no rush to get the cool and eerie concepts out as fast as possible, helping us to appreciate the epic scale of this world and understand the great distant John must travel. Graham’s true triumph is in creating a tone for the book. It’s creepy sci-fi, to put it plainly, but it sticks with you on every page.

An aspect of the book I like is how disconnected we are from John Prophet. We are simply watching him for the most part, just getting by. He may be the last hope for human kind but that doesn’t mean he’s anything like the relatable leads in other books. His tech adapts him to this new world so he can, for example in this issue, eat the aliens he encounters food. He’s a warrior engineered to survive and get the mission done which should leave us with no surprise if some of his humanity is lost.

Simon Roy’s well placed to draw the futuristic insect beings/aliens and landscape, his style certainly adds to the vibe this book has etched out for itself.
Very solid issue, just not as great as the previous, but if it’s an act of alien sexuality you wanted to see again this issue, don’t worry there’s a moment in there for you.

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