IDW has done it again, and what's refreshing about this success is that it didn't flow from the proverbial pen of Steve Niles. Instead, frequent Niles collaborator Ben Templesmith has developed a creepy, post-apocalyptic tale that crosses a number of genres to arrive at a compelling and intense result. Singularity 7 is easily compared to The Matrix, but there's much more than sci-fi action at play here. The creator has included horror, super-hero and war-story elements here to arrive at an exciting story, but what really sets this book apart is the thoroughly effective and matter-of-fact tone of the narration. It brings the unsettling premise to life incredibly well.
Alien nanites descend upon the Earth and grant an average schulb such advanced powers that it seems as though he can transform everything around him as if by magic. He becomes a hero, healing the world and cultures around the globe, bringing peace to mankind. But the changes don't stop there. The man, now known as the Singularity, continues to alter the world around him, as the world becomes a deadlier and more alien place. Only a fraction of humanity survives, thanks in part to Specials, humans who are not destroyed by the nanites but granted extranormal abilities of their own.
I'm honestly surprised at how well Templesmith's art conveys the bizarre transformations that are such an integral part of the story here. His angular, dark art works great on Niles's 30 Days of Night vampire stories, but a reader knows what to expect from vampires. Blood, biting... the reader already has some familiarity with the subject matter going in, so Templesmith's slightly surreal style isn't a problem. Here, he brightens up things a bit to bring some clarity to the story, but he doesn't sacrifice a dark, edgy atmosphere in the process. The character designs for the protagonists are simple but effective, and Templesmith's unflinching, gritty art really help to bring the more horrific aspects of the story to life in order to disturb the reader (in an ever-so entertaining manner).
The first third of this issue features what seems like a separate story running along the lower quarter of each page. The majority of each page provides the reader with the backstory, while that lower quarter gets the main plot moving ahead. The approach brings a gradual crescendo of tension to the story, and the moment in which the two converge is an effective one.
What makes the book for me is the eeriely detached tone of the narration in the first half of the book. Templesmith doesn't allow the reader to connect with the Singularity on a human level. We don't hear his voice before he comes into contact with the nanites. We don't learn about his hobbies or his family or any other aspect of his life. Templesmith dehumanizes him before he is transformed, and it further enhances the intimidating nature of the character.
