Comic Book Review - Pandora

Rob reviews Pandora...

It's looking like 2022 is going to be a busy year for the team over at The77 Publications. Not only have we (so far) seen two issues of The77 anthology head to crowdfunding, but the team have also announced 'This Comic Is Haunted' - headed up by Dave Heeley - is also in the works.

However, right now and The77's fan base has been treated to yet another new anthology from the team - 'Pandora'. At the helm is the very talented Jo Heeley who's brought with her a few familiar names to contribute to the strips showcased within this new anthology. With everything taking on a more supernatural, sci-fi, horror feeling - Pandora is a far cry from its sibling publications The77 & Blazer!

The comic itself comes in two forms. The Newsstand edition features a wonderful Penny Pentagram cover that's been designed by Andrew Richmond (see above). Meanwhile, the variant edition sees Anna Morozova bring the characters from Alan Hebden's Star-Nav to the forefront. With both designs worthy of gracing any comic book cover, it's certainly a tough choice. 

Star-Nav - Episode 1: Jump or Die (Alan Hebden, Anna Morozova, Philip Vaughan)

Stella Sunbright is a talented individual. Due to her latent psychic abilities, she's able to propel starships across the galactic void in an instant. This not only makes her quite a powerful human being - she's also a high commodity amongst space pirates. When Stella's starship gets attacked by a group of Spider Pirates, she soon realises her role is much larger than just being a Star-Nav.

When Pandora was initially announced Star-Nav was the strip I was most eager to read. It's also safe to say that it didn't disappoint. While this opening act is filled with world-building, it's done in a way that's subtle enough to keep the here and now flowing smoothly. While its narrative so far is feeling a little predictable to anyone who's seen a lot of sci-fi, I can fully imagine that Alan Hebden has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to subvert this expectation. 

Anna Morozova also shows why she's highly regarded across the comic spectrum with another brilliant display of linework and colour. It's bold, flashy, and a little dream-like, and it kicks Pandora off to a great start. 

Weep For Me (Anna Everts, Gary Burley) 

A somewhat 'Futureshocks' inspired tale in which we get a self-contained story with a twist ending. If you come out of reading this touching tale from Anna Everts without a hint of sadness, then you're made of tough stuff. 

There isn't a lot I can say about 'Weep For Me' without spoiling it all. What I will say is that Everts not only continues to show just how wide their range of storytelling is, there's going to be big things coming from them in the future! 

Gary Burley adds to this tale with a gorgeous display of green. It's certainly a style that fits into the story and makes that subtle ending shift to black that ever more heart-wrenching. 

Penny Pentagram: Love Bites (David Thomas, Andrew Richmond) 

Fans of The77 will already be familiar with 'Penny Pentagram'. While the character is familiar, she's had one hell of a makeover. Penny is still the demon slayer she's always been. However, David Thomas has turned her into a badass. Of course the Buffy The Vampire Slayer feeling is still here, but Thomas and Andrew Richmond have added a lot of Blade into the mix. 

With this tale being a classic Vampire hunt - with plenty of blood to go around - 'Penny Pentagram' had suddenly become one to watch! 

If You Just Listen (Jamal Luckett, Lola Bonato) 

The United States is under a nationwide lockdown due to a zombie outbreak. Due to the delay in activating the lockdown the states of Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska are effectively quarantine zones. With the threat of zero help arriving, things are naturally tense. But how does someone who lives with a form of autism see these events? And how would they change the world around them? 

What makes 'If You Listen' great is that its main character has been inspired by Jamal Luckett's daughter - who's also on the spectrum. While the zombie outbreak narrative has been done a thousand times, seeing it explored from this unique point of view makes for a refreshing change. 

Artist Lola Bonato also makes their comic debut within this strip. At the moment the artwork is very bright and innocent, however, there's darkness hiding underneath.

Home (Rob McDonald, Ade Hughes)

'Home' is a touching tale that explores grief, loss, and those moments of lost time with our loved ones. Rob McDonald conveys and builds these feelings with a great deal of weight as we follow the narrative journey. 

Ade Hughes adds plenty of haunting art to proceedings. We start with a lot of warmth which slowly drains to cool shades of blue. It's not only beautiful to look at, but it also perfectly compliments McDonald's narrative.

El Bunito (Jo Heeley, Andrew Sawyers)

Rounding this issue off is a tale of badass rabbits at war that's been brought to life by Pandora's editor Jo Heeley and The77's favourite, Andrew Sawyers. 

On the surface 'El Bunito' feels like a dark and gritty re-telling of a classic Saturday morning cartoon; Bucky O'Hare. It's very military sci-fi focused as El Bunito and his team battle the myxoma virus that's plaguing their warren. With the dead returning to life, could there be a much larger threat on the horizon? 

I've been a big fan of Sawyers for a while now. His unique art style gives Heeley's script a very violent and militaristic feel. Gone is Sawyers's usual style that's seen within 'The Cell' and 'Silver Jubilee', instead we see great use of purple linework with a return to usual proceedings to add an amount of flair to the concluding twist. 

Pandora sets itself off to a strong start with this debut. It's clear from the introduction that Jo Heeley has brought a lot of passion into bringing Pandora to publication. The overall pacing of this issue flows well with a great variety of different strips on offer. With future strips already teased, I'm expecting big things to come our way in future issues. 

Rating 9/10 

Pandora is available now and can be purchased by clicking here. 

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