Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: Inherit the Earth
Written by: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by: Juan Santacruz
Colored by: Jose Luis Roger
Lettered by: Phil Balsman
Editor: Bob Harras & Kristy Quinn
Publisher: Wildstorm > DC Comics
The world of the Twilight Experiment is a place where superheroes once roamed, but do so no more. In 1996, the villain The Righteous clashed with the superteam First Light in the skies. Eventually, The Righteous defeated and murdered each of the heroes leaving only a superheroine named Serenity to face him. As she fought and died on earth, her photosensitive son was left, abandoned, in a special station on the moon. Meanwhile, back on earth, a fourteen year old girl Rene watched as her sister was killed by pieces of falling debris and found her life’s purpose. Now, it is nine years later.
It’s an intriguing start to a series. Rene has a nice Chase (from the lamented DC series of the same name) vibe to her in that she hates the superpowered, but appears to be one of them herself. The man being set up as her fellow protagonist, Michael (Serenity’s son) is seen only in flashback, but the isolation of his life (and how that is made him a bit younger/more naïve that he would usually be) is made clear. His condition, while only outlined in broad strokes, is also of great interest.
Santacruz is no slacker on the art either. I like his superpowered character designs. The Righteous’s costume is a good (and his name is GREAT) and I appreciate the superficial match in appearance that he shares with Serenity’s son, the stone white skin that is still, somehow, not albino. It might be accidental, it might be coincidental, but it is intriguing nonetheless. The irony of Serenity’s powers and appearance is also a good choice. The only character that I am disappointed in is Rene, as her paramedic gear looks more like a prison jumpsuit.
I also admit initial disappointment at the lack of a visceral quality in the final battle between Serenity and the Righteous. However, as I wrote this review I flip flopped on that. After all, Michael is watching it from a taped feed on the moon. The emotional distance of it makes sense to me in that context and it serves to, once again, frame the disconnect between Michael and the rest of the world, Rene in particular.
The big issue I have and the reason this issue finds itself with a lower grade, is that it is all setup. The narrative is strong, but there is no pop. I’m aboard for future issues, but I can’t grade this one higher because I just don’t feel there is enough here to grade.
