First of all, I'm pleased to find a Boom! Studios release that priced more in line with other regular comic books on the market today. And secondly, I'm pleased to find that the publisher has found another engaging, cinematic story to bring to life. X Isle reads very much like a movie on paper -- a big-budget action movie, to be precise. Sure, just like such a flick, it boasts some predictable plotting, but what helps to set it apart and to grab the reader's attention is strong characterization. The interaction among the characters, brought to life by sharp dialogue, really allows the reader to immerse him or herself in the fantastic tale.
A beached aquatic animal in Hawaii attracts the attention of a scientific research team. The scientists hire a boat and crew and outfit it with the equipment they need to examine the seemingly prehistoric creature while at the same time venturing out onto the ocean to see if they can learn more or find something else. The man heading up the team has a couple of personality conflicts with which he must contend: his easily irked daughter and the rough-around-the-edges captain of the vessel. But those will soon prove to be the least of his problems, as an inexplicable storm strands them all on an island that shouldn't be in the middle of the Pacific.
Scott's art boasts a dichotomous look of being seemingly loose and sketchy yet realistic at the same time. I'm actually put in mind of the visual style of Richard Linklater's upcoming film A Scanner Darkly (just a bit, mind you) or the animated show Delta State. Scott's eye for anatomy is strong, and the characters move in a believable fashion. The strongest aspect of the artwork is the coloring job by Sunder Raj. He really drives home the alien nature of the lifeforms the characters are studying and will soon face in conflict.
In many ways, the setup here is one we've seen time and time again. The plotting feels like Jurassic Park meets Lost, but not necessarily in a good way. This is a generic action-movie premise, and as a result, it's easy to see where the writers are going with it. In fact, the entire issue reads more like a pitch for movie execs. But it nevertheless remains entertaining and succeeds in capturing that big-budget with nothing but paper and ink.
The reader knows going in that the characters are in for trouble on an island inhabited by undiscovered prehistoric monsters; we can surmise as much by the second page. The real source of conflict in this first issue is among the characters. The merc captain's hostile and clearly violent leanings bring some real tension to the book, and the professor's strained relationship with his daughter is a grounded notion to which the reader can easily relate. Furthermore, the brief scene in which one scientist's sense of accomplishment is marred by a colleague's allegation of surreptitious affirmative action is a painful one that puts the reader on edge. In other words, the varying degrees of harshness among the players not only sets the mood effectively but tells us volumes about these characters in a short time. The approach brings credibility to a story that defies it. 8/10
