Comic Book Review - Time Before Time #1

Rob reviews Time Before Time #1...

Time Before Time is a new series from Image Comics that's been written by Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville. The story follows Tatsuo and Oscar, two time-travelling delivery men who use their job to escape a pretty grim future. The only thing that stands in their way is the Syndicate, a criminal organisation that also happens to be Tatsuo and Oscar's employer. What could go wrong? 

Time travel isn't a new concept when it comes to comic books. When used correctly the concept can open up for some pretty remarkable storytelling. Yet on the other hand it can also make for some pretty dire circumstances too. Thankfully Time Before Time is the former. It's got a great premise that's backed up by a strong atmosphere and some stellar artwork. To compare Time Before Time I'd say it's a mixture of Looper and Twelve Monkeys with a side order of Terminator.

This opening issue starts in 1987, as a man named Tatsuo delivers a Mother and her Son to their new home. Tatsuo soon returns to the future - or present-day 2140 and we learn that not only is he a Time traveller, he also works for some pretty unsavoury people. Tatsuo works for the Syndicate, an organisation that smuggles people and good through time to where they'd be the most profitable. It's a pretty shifty job that's tough to break free from. Fed up of this meagre existence, Tatsuo and fellow Syndicate employee Oscar hatch a plan to steal a time machine and escape to the past. As the duo put their plan into action, their lives are suddenly changed forever. 

Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville weave a great tale with a relatively small cast of characters. This means that a lot of character traits are pushed across to us. Both Tatsuo and Oscar are incredibly relatable characters who are rooted in their jobs and long for an escape. With the two 'heroes' being ordinary folk, their easy to get behind and root for them to succeed in their plan. The biggest challenge with any time travel adventure is to make it feel real. Shalvey and McConville have succeeded in doing so. The world feels complex enough to appeal to die-hard time travel fans, yet doesn't rely on pre-established laws (butterfly effect, don't destroy your Mom and Dad's relationship etc) to tell its story. 

Joe Palmer delivers an art masterclass with Time Before Time. Palmer gives us some beautiful line work that allows the details of Shalvey and McConville's world to come to life. There's a great scene where Tatsuo and Oscar are deliberating their plan as the scenery shifts through various time frames, which shows off Palmer's art style. Each character is incredibly detailed with some brilliant expression work. It's the intricate facial details and character traits that make a comic book character feel alive, and Palmer achieves this throughout. 

Colours come from Chris O'Halloran, who brings a variety of vibrant and muted colours to his palette. The way O'Halloran utilises these various colours to symbolise the shift in time is great and helps to show that something has changed. This also ties into the general ascetics. Whilst I can't say much for 2140, both 1987 and 1963 look and feel appropriate to those time frames. 

Time Before Time #1 sets this unique adventure off to a great start. It's a frantic sci-fi crime caper that's got a pretty heartfelt story under its surface. The use of time travel allows Shalvey and McConville to take this story in any direction - yet  I'm confident that the duo won't go too crazy with the notion. The foundations are here for something that can grow into a sure-fire classic, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next outing...now where did I park my DeLorean?

Rating 10/10 

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