Weinberg has a solid premise here, one that would make excellent action-movie fare. The problem is that the execution is dumbed down to the point that it seems like it was designed as such. The dialogue clumsily incorporates exposition about the characters, and the players in this little sci-fi drama are built like porn stars and are about as perceptive. Though I'm pleased to see Weinberg return to comics after Nightside and there's potential in the premise, this opening chapter doesn't inspire confidence in the remainder of the series.
A couple of Texas ranchhands discover something unusual and alien in a cavern on their employer's land, and within months, the military has rushed in and taken command of the area for an unprecedented operation. Secrets about the age of dinosaurs are uncovered beneath the Texan land, as well as technology and an alien language. Experts are being rushed in from around the world, and the activity has caught the attention of a rather resourceful reporter. Little does anyone know that the secrets uncovered beneath the earth not only speak to the planet's secret past, but to a dark and dangerous future as well.
Booth does an excellent job of conveying the vastness of the dinosaur caverns, as well as the intricacies of the ancient architecture and the alien characters that adorn it. That's the extent of the art's strengths, though. Booth's elongated style remains distracting rather than dynamic. Just about every character is implausibly beautiful. The ranch owner and reporter are confusingly similar in appearance as well. The colors are appropriately dark, but fortunately, they don't obfuscate the storytelling.
Booth isn't the only creator who needlessly sexualizes the characters. Weinberg transforms several of the key players into seemingly insatiably horny swinging singles. The flirting just doesn't make sense in the context of the historical landmark event of the premise. To be fair, I'm pleased that several characters are female, and I could buy into one of them being rather super-model-esque. But all of them? It's more than a little transparent.
The premise is nevertheless a strong one, but the writer's exploration of it is somewhat awkward. The speed and depth of the reporter's infiltration into a top-secret military operation stretches credibility too far, and the lack of subtlety with which she conducts her investigation is laughable. The gorgeous ranch owner doesn't seem to have much of a role to play, though I expect her sex appeal and cattle wrangling skills will come into play in future issues.
