Once in a while I read something that makes my brain buzz with a kind of euphoria its just so good. When it is a comic book it has to be something pretty unique. Such was Black Science Vol. 1 by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera.
Anyone that knows me knows that my usual MO in comic books is the superhero genre. However, I am also a big fan of science fiction, and when I read the description of the this book on Comixology during a half off sale; I just had to give it a shot.
Collects BLACK SCIENCE #1-6 Anarchist scientist Grant McKay has done the impossible! Using the Pillar, he has punched a hole through the barriers between dimensions, allowing travel to all possible universes. But now Grant and his team are trapped in the folds of infinity, the Pillar sending them careening through a million universes of unimaginable adventure, sanity-flaying danger and no way home… Presenting the first mind-warping chapter of the critically acclaimed sci-fi epic by superstar creative team of writer RICK REMENDER (Uncanny Avengers, Captain America) and artist MATTEO SCALERA (Secret Avengers).
One thing Comixology has been good at since it started is exposed me to all kinds of different material that for whatever reason I wasn’t exposed to or just never heard of. I have picked up several good reads over the years in sales like this, and ended up finding books I continued to read past my first exposure.
To say that I was pleasantly surprised with this book is a gross understatement. Saying that the story grabbed me by the balls and got my undivided attention would be a more accurate description. Without giving away any of the plot I would call it a cross of the late 90’s TV series Sliders and Game of Thrones TV series. This series about dimension hopping scientists has a breakneck speed that is completely unpredictable from one moment to the next, and much like Game of Thrones; no character is safe from a horrible fate. Besides the sci-fi elements, it is the raw (almost savage) way that the story is told that left me feeling at times that I was run over a truck, but in a good way. I enjoyed this book so much, that after reading this in digital format, I immediately ordered Vol. 1 and 2 in print, and preordered Vol 3 so I could add it to my collection.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of adult science fiction, and tales of adventure. For those that do podcast, the guys and I did a read of the first issue, and you can find it here: Episode 197: Spotlight on Image Comics: Black Science #1 (2013)
I give this book (using the movie scale) an R rating for language and violence, so it’s not safe for the kiddies.