Creators: Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover Artist: Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson; Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 3, 2024
When Rook needed a fresh start, the Better-World company delivered. Now Rook inhabits a planet all but abandoned by Humans. The warden races against the clock to build a rocket and launch it into space before all technology fails. But is he already too late? Let's put on our helmets, leap into Rook Exodus #1, and find out!
Story
Out-of-control population growth and global warming strained Earth’s ecosystem to the breaking point. Humans endured earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and pandemics until their trust in society broke. Rioting, insurrection, and war followed.
Better-World purchased Planet F in the Kepler system. They rebranded the planet Exodus, brought in their world engine, and began colonizing it six years later. Advertisements showed scenes of pristine nature. Imported animals inhabited verdant fields, explored forests, and sated their thirst in clean rivers and streams.
Perhaps Better World should have left the planet's name as F because the company royally f---ed up. Eleven years after they radically changed the planet’s ecosystem, their terraforming world engine coughed and died. But Exodus seems apt in hindsight, as the colonists couldn’t abandon their hastily remodeled planet fast enough. After assisting with their flight from Exodus, the company's porcine management left employees like Rook and his friend Swine behind. Better-World promised to provide transportation for them, but two years later, Rook, Swine, and the other wardens are still waiting.
In Rook Exodus #1, Rook watches a rocket launch into the atmosphere. Like most jury-rigged transports, a system failure brings it crashing down. Rook evokes Mad Max as he spots the burning wreck and races over in his armored dune buggy. Without Swine’s help, Rook doubts he can find the remaining components he needs before everything becomes slag. When Rook spies a man dying in the wreckage, all hope dies.
Losing his father was a hard blow. The way Better-World treated him made Rook cynical. The company's Weathermen looked down on wardens like him and Swine. He should hate them. After all, their failure to maintain the world engine led to this catastrophe. Yet Rook abandons his scavenging to ease the man’s final moments.
Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s story demonstrates the fallacy of quick fixes. Building anything worthwhile that lasts takes time. The issue also shows how people react to failure. Some leaders struggle to continue or give up. Others shrug, say, "So what," and make new plans. Sadly, some always seek advantage in tragedy. They don’t try to fix what’s broken. Instead, they become hunters and view everyone else as prey.
Art
A spaceship perches on its launch pad, surrounded by industrial infrastructure, in Rook Exodus #1. The fire from its thrusters produces smoke that startles birds in the surrounding forest. Then, the thruster explodes, and the vessel descends into a scenic valley like Yosemite National Park. Rook spies this distant tragedy through computer-enhanced binoculars. His metal helmet evokes a demonic bird. Spikes adorn shoulder plates and forearm armor. Clad in a shredded trench coat, chest armor, and military-like fatigues, Rook carries equipment and guns as he strides through the forest.
Birds surround Rook as he walks. They circle his buggy as he races through the forest. They survey the burning wreckage. They’re not as large as Swine’s boars. Yet, we sense Rook's fears over his dwindling control. Once severed, will they reenact the brutal ferocity of Hitchcock's classic "The Birds"?
Brad Anderson breathes life into a world of fading beauty in Rook: Exodus #1. We gain glimpses of the paradise this word seemed, even though yellow and brown now choke the skies. Windblown dirt coats the fantastic cities that have fallen into disrepair. Rook inhabits a realm of perpetual twilight, a noir dreamscape filled with few people and abandoned cities. Anderson’s pleasing color tones enhance the lifelike art, even if the tones cluster for comfort amid the shattering finale of this mesmerizing 46-page story.
Small upper-case letters fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Rob Leigh provides contrast and interest through eye-catching lettering colors, fonts, and balloon shapes. His sound effects strengthen every moment of action and drama in Rook: Exodus #1. Thanks to Image Comics and all the creators at Ghost Machine for providing a copy of this issue for review.
Final Thoughts
Haunted by his past, Rook fears his friends will turn against him. Abandoned by his fellow humans, he works frantically to escape his adopted planet before it descends into savagery in Rook Exodus #1.
Rating 9.2/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
