Comic Book Review - EVE #1

Rob reviews EVE #1...

Eve #1 is the latest series coming from the creative powerhouse that's BOOM! Studios'. The world as we know it has all but been obliterated. Societies future rests in the hands of Eve, an adolescent girl who refuses to give up hope inside of this broken world. 

This opening brings with it plenty of meaningful messages, important themes, and dire circumstances, that's all wrapped up in a beautiful, yet powerful story. 

The story opens up with the titular character navigating some pretty dense treetops. As Eve journeys home we see her optimistic approach to life and her passion for the beauty of the world around her. Once home, we learn of Eve's plans for the future and that she can't stay on this mysterious paradise island forever. As Eve walks through a doorway we then learn that this perfect world is a lie. As Eve wakes up in the "real" world she starts to realise that her life up until this point has been a simulation. This simulation had been designed by Eve's missing Father to ready her for surviving the ravaged world. And so off Eve sets to not only find her Father but to learn more about the world and herself.

Writer Victor LaValle dives into quite a lot of world-building in this opening issue. That's not surprising when you consider his previous work was Destroyer - which also featured an incredibly detailed world and a fantastic story. Eve is a great character to lead us through this world. She's optimistic and full of playfulness that not only highlights her innocence but also shows she has a lot of heart. Assisting Eve on her journey is Wexler, a robot that's housed within the body of a stuffed bear. He's got a lot of depressing news to share with Eve and is not only a great contrast to her character but makes for a pretty good tour guide too. 

It's through Eve and Wexler that LaValle builds his world. While it feels a little heavy on elucidation, LaValle opens up the world and highlights quite a few directions that the story could go. 

Art comes courtesy of Jo Mi-Gyeong and Brittany Peer. The world that they have created feels incredibly lived-in, yet full of danger. Each location we visit feels dynamic and pushes this world into your hands. Mi-Gyeong gives us some beautiful expressions which help convey Eve's emotions to the reader, which in turn helps to invest in her adventure. Peer paints this opening issue with a great mix of warm colours and muted greys. The contrast between the simulation and the real world is a great highlight of this, and again it all adds to LaValle's world-building. 

This new series is off to a great start that is showing quite a lot of potential in going forward. The script isn't afraid to tackle some tough questions and almost feels like a "what-if" rather than something entirely fictional. Victor LaValle is an incredible writer and it's great to see him tackling an incredibly important subject.  One that affects us all...

Rating 10/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev