Zeb Larson reviews Drifter #1…
FROM THE CREATORS OF VIKING: Writer IVAN BRANDON (Wolverine, Men of War) and artist NIC KLEIN (Captain America, Thor) reunite to bring you a sci-fi ONGOING SERIES joining the dark revenge themes of Unforgiven with the mind-bending sci-fi universe-building of Dune. In its frantic rush to survive itself, mankind has spread across the universe, colonizing and strip-mining countless planets. Abram Pollux barely survives a crash landing on Ouro, a lawless backwater world where life is cheap. What starts as a struggle for survival quickly becomes a journey to the very edges of what it means to be human.
Drifter has a strange feel to it, and I can’t quite tell if the writing is meant to be allegorical, or if the dialogue is meant to be impenetrable and obscure. This new Sci-Fi series from Image Comics combines western and space themes for a story described as a combination of Unforgiven and Dune. So, is this series good? I have no idea.
Abram Pollux crash lands on the world of Ouro after his ship is struck by debris in space. He barely survives the crash, and soon after landing, he finds himself in a town called Ghost Town that makes Mos Eisley look quaint and hospitable. Abram interacts with the town marshal, reverend, and an unknown man who shoots him and leaves him for dead, as he tries to figure out where exactly he is and how he will survive. Pollux is full of unspecified regrets, making references to the bad things he’s done, but we don’t know what those are yet. All we know is that Ouro is going to push Abram to the edge of his limits.
This series is light on context and backstory, at least as yet. Image’s promo for the series mentions that humanity has been forced to spread across the galaxy, endlessly strip-mining planets to stay alive. Beyond that, we aren’t given a whole lot of information here about politics, society, law, or even who if anybody Abram is working for. Perhaps more will be given to us in time, but for now, we’re effectively left in the dark with this series.
The lack of information makes Drifter at times feel like a dream, especially as scenes aren’t shown to us in a straightforward way. Abram’s shooting isn’t exactly shown, leaving us with an unclear picture of what happened. Likewise, Abram’s recounting of what happened to the marshal is vague, whether because he’s concealing something or because the writing is sort of willfully obscure. At times, it even feels like the conversations one has in a dream, with all sorts of subconscious meaning but lacking in immediate relevance. This will be a turn-off for some.
The creators are clearly evoking Unforgiven and Firefly here, with the dusty vistas, lawless world, and the mixture of advanced technology and primitive gear. These kinds of terrain are ideal for stories of moral endurance, because even the landscape is actively fighting the protagonist. Nic Klein’s artwork is clean but not too clean, showing some of the grit of this world, and the overall art style is cool so far. I want to see just how alien this place is, which hopefully should be teased out in further issues.
Zeb Larson
Originally published November 12, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
