Descender #1 Review: A boy and his dog
This review was originally published on the now-defunct infinitecomix.com (RIP) on March 4, 2015.
Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s Descender is not a book full of revolutionary ideas. Neither its lead character—a robotic boy with heart in the vein of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy—nor its dystopian space setting are new concepts. So it’s a testament to the two storytellers’ strengths that they take such well-worn territory and churn out an introductory issue that feels—and certainly looks—like nothing else on the market.
Descender #1’s prologue details the hub world Niyrata that houses life from nine core planets. An uneasy alliance makes cohabitation together possible, as well as the aid of robots that appear integral to society. As with most futuristic societies, calamity soon arrives in the form of nine planet-sized robots, called harvesters, which reduce most of non-robotic life to rubble and then vanish as quickly as they appear. Worlds away, a robot boy named Tim-21 awakens after a decade-long sleep and, unbeknownst to him, he may just prove to be the only answer to a brewing war between organic life and machines.
Somehow, the whole thing looks this good.
Dustin Nguyen’s superb watercolor style astounds from the opening page. His portrayal of a white, sleek, and minimalistic Niyrata avoids the pitfall of feeling like an overly sterile bathroom. The book feels teeming with life thanks to the colorful characters, vehicles, and other futuristic fare that populate the city. The contrasting whites and vibrant colors give Lemire’s future an otherworldly sheen.
Nguyen’s hand is equally capable of transforming mood as the prologue ends and the perspective is switched to Tim as he wanders the empty halls of a mining colony. The swirling shadows amid the grays, blues, and greens convey a tangible sense of loneliness, and Tim’s own trepidation piles it on. Despite his robotic nature, Tim exhibits a number of emotions: remorse at the sea of dead bodies flooding the derelict colony, relief at finding his dog-bot companion, Bandit, and determination to solve some rather complicated problems. These emotions make Tim an immediately likable character in just a few short pages.
Tim-21 and his dog, Bandit, are every bit as disgustingly adorable as this panel sequence would imply.
Descender #1 occasionally stumbles with a bit of wordy exposition from its other lead character, Dr. Quon. When another character asks him to recall some vital information in the book’s closing pages, it’s clearly only for the reader’s benefit. But it’s just a minor example, as the rest of the world is realized believably within the story and in a Jonathan Hickman-like wrap-up page detailing the nine worlds.
Despite some clumsy storytelling, Descender #1 is a promising start fueled by the loveable characterization of its small robotic lead and Nguyen’s bold and breathtaking artwork.
