It's rough in today's comic market for the indie publishers, and that means a first issue has to hit all the notes just perfect when it comes out or risk being buried by higher profile spandex books. Black-Eyed Susan doesn't hit everything perfect, but Mad Yak seems a fairly committed publisher, so hopefully we'll see the title stick around long enough to build an audience, because for all the flaws that are in the first issue, there are also some really neat ideas and gorgeous artwork. Neighly starts things off on a deliberately confusing note, a risky choice that gets us into the protagonist's headspace but leaves us a little confused about the story until well over halfway through the book. Those willing to ride out the confusion, though, will find an interesting, somewhat haunting and surprisingly fun story of three survivors in a massive war with unknowable aliens, and a question of what they will do next, a mixture of survival story and hard-edged combat fiction in a science-fiction setting.
First issues are damned hard to write, probably the hardest thing outside of short stories in comics format, and maybe harder because the stakes are higher. You have to introduce the characters and premise, but you want to tease the reader to keep them coming back. The balance is on information versus tantalizing hints, and Neighly walks a fine line here in terms of that balance. Oh, by the time we're almost to the end of the comic we know who the woman on the cover and the guy in the battlesuit are and what their stories are, but we're still left wondering about the kid and about how they all came to be together. There's no background at all on the war, and you're left to assume things about the human-martian war based on clues in the comic. For example, it's never explicitly spelled out, but it seems clear that the humans are losing. Badly. At any rate, while starting in the middle of the action does jump-start the reader's interest, a little more backstory and establishing of the world (we're never even told what year it is, or explicitly told that the setting is Mars) would have been nice.
For all the guesswork that's involved, though, a very intriguing premise does start to coalesce in readers' minds. The empty cities gives the whole thing a somewhat post-apocalyptic feel, as the protagonist deals not only with basic survival needs and dangerous foes but with the maddening uncertainty of whether she's in a small minority of humanity that's left. Neighly does something pretty interesting in gifting her with a companion, but one who can't speak and fill her in on anything (even though it seems likely that he knows some of it), which heightens the question of what's going on, for both the protagonist and the reader. The introduction of a capable, almost smug jarhead type (who, against type, can also cook) nicely completes the ensemble. Neighly has a great cast here, and though it takes a bit too long to assemble them for my taste, when they're finally assembled, I'm really enjoying the way they interact.
Actually, given the somewhat dark subject matter, Black-Eyed Susan is a fairly light and entertaining book. There's a feeling of desolation in the setting and a somber notion that humanity might be getting wiped out by aliens, but it's such science-fiction big idea stuff that it's kind of fun. In addition, our protagonist, a mechanic/pilot named Melanie, is an upbeat and very talkative personality, and that sort of keeps things light for the reader. Even in the midst of a dire situation, she keeps herself up by talking, and providing some of the exposition (in small doses) that's needed to ease the reader into the world.
Neighly is joined on this book by Donny Hadiwidjaja, and that's a very good thing. Hadiwidjaja's artwork has a feel that is comparable to a lot of manga, particularly in terms of storytelling, but it also features character designs that remind me of popular manga-influenced American artists like J. Scott Campbell and Ed Benes, mixed with amazingly detailed designs for technology more reminiscent of someone like Geoff Darrow. The result is a very readable, very clear art style that does an exceptional job of bringing the tech-heavy world of Black-Eyed Susan to life.
