JUST A PILGRIM: GARDEN OF EDEN #1 (Best of the Week!)
"1: Marianas"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
|
Black Bull Entertainment
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Colors: Paul Mounts
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Jimmy Palmiotti
Price: $2.99 US/$4.49 CAN |
Some may think that Just a Pilgrim, given that Garth Ennis writes it and the title he gave it, is just a rehash of the same storytelling he offered up in his landmark Preacher series from DC/Vertigo. That's not the case at all. Though still boasting the same level of intensity and weirdness, Just a Pilgrim: Garden of Eden isn't a story about betrayal, but about an extreme solution to an insane problem. It is Garth Ennis, though, so it's inventive and riveting.
Amid the desolate place that was once the Pacific Ocean bed, the Pilgrim happens upon a lush garden in the Marianas Trench. After the catalysmic Burn, a group of scientists set up shop there and found water. As they set out to rebuild civilization in this small paradise, though, they were set up by weird creatures they call Sliders, and until the Pilgrim happened along, there was no one to protect them.
While Ezquerra's detailed art is stunning and the design for the title character is strong, the most striking aspect of the art on this book is Paul Mounts's colors. He captures the arid nature of the Pilgrim's world while conveying a sense of majesty to the dry terrain as well. He also conveys the lushness and life of the Garden with contrasting deep greens.
I never did get around to finishing the first Pilgrim limited series. I moved right around the time the end was being released, and I missed out on a couple of issues. I picked up the trade paperback edition a while back, but I never got around to reading it. I'm pleased to find that the first series isn't required reading. This is a thoroughly accessible story that preserves the mystique of the title character and crystallizes the clever nature of the apocalyptic premise.
I think what drew me into this story the most was the plausibility of the scientists' plans and set-up on the ocean floor. Sure, the Sliders and the Pilgrim are traditional post-apocalypctic genre elements, but the concept behind the Garden struck me as compelling. But don't get me wrong... the more outrageous aspects of the plot -- notably the deadpan attitude of the title character -- are a mess of fun as well. This is another outstanding effort from a creative team that works well together.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
