The Good
A group of astronauts, on a space station, must watch the Earth get engulfed by a solar flare. They head back to Earth to see what remains of the human race, if anything.
The concept of this book reeled me in. It's incredibly intriguing, and I cannot wait to see the direction they take this book. I may be a sucker for apocalyptic stories, but I love the idea of people in a space station having to deal with the loss of their entire planet, but also heading back, to Earth, to deal with the events that transpired. The idea is very exciting, and writer John Byrne has this giant sandbox to play with from here on out, and the possibilities are endless.
This book has elements of a fun, big-budget blockbuster film. It translates well over to the issue, and while it's a pretty serious book, this issue oozes fun and enjoyment. We all like watching the world destroyed in various types of media, right?
Byrne also did the artwork on the book. It has its ups and downs, but the overall style of Byrne's work, which may look a little dated, fits the book pretty well. Towards the middle of the issue, he weaves together some fast-paced action sequences with some very solid panel layouts. His art style adds to the fun and the feeling that we're in the middle of a blockbuster film.
A couple of the characters have some very solid beards.
The Bad
At times, the dialogue is pretty tough to get through. There's one particular scene where the President is talking and it's worded very bizarre. It's not something someone would normally say. It feels like these couple of lines I had a problem with shouldn't have gotten past the editors. At one point, one of the astronauts sacrifices himself to save everyone else, which is a pretty great moment that's ruined by another astronaut saying "Rest in peace, big guy. And thanks!" He says this as his friend is dying. It feels so weird and not how a normal person would deal with a coworker or friend dying.
While I'm excited to continue on with this book, as far as a start of a series goes, it's ok. My biggest problem is that I feel like the reader doesn't get the best sense of how bad it is on Earth. Sure, the characters talk about what may be happening there, but the issue doesn't show us too much. We spend a lot more time reading exposition than being shown what's going on.
The Verdict
DOOMSDAY.1 #1 is a decent start to a series with an immense amount of potential. The concept of this book is so fantastic, and while this was an overall, decent issue, Byrne's ideas alone have me roped in for the next issue. His art works well for the story, and he has some incredibly well-paced action sequences as well. On the downside, the dialogue is pretty rough. There's a couple instances of odd character interaction and speech. Also, it seems we spent more time reading about this world than being shown. However, Byrne is a legend in the industry, and this book is a good indication that he still has some amazing ideas and solid stories.
Overall, I give this book a mild recommendation.