Okay … whoa … I don’t think it is a new concept but when I read the first issue of The Wrong Earth I was pretty blown away. So I’m not sure how to start this review.
Do I talk about how cool it is that Ahoy Comics is bringing back the comic book magazine? Talk about how my nostalgia bone remembers fondly the comic magazines like Savage Sword of Conan or Marvel Bizarre Adventures? Do I mention that for a mere $4 you get 40 extra large pages of comics, prose stories and extras?
Or do I talk about my love of the old DC multiverse stories with Earth 2 Golden Age Flash making an appearance in Earth 1 Flash’s comic? And how this story, again, hits my nostalgia bone as we see Dragonflyman from Earth-Alpha crossing over with Dragonflyman of Earth-Omega?
Neither, let us just talk about the story! Tom Peyer pens a tale featuring two very different versions of the main character. On Earth-Alpha Dragonflyman appears to be an analogue of the beloved 1966 Batman TV show. Complete with a heat beam deathtrap, heroic side-kick named Stinger and the whacky bad guy. The police are all “aw shucks”, the henchmen and women are silly and the method that Dragonflyman and Stinger escape are equally as corny. But in a great way.
Earth-Omega seems to mirror the trend in comics after The Dark Knight Returns to a grim and gritty, more realistic character style. Earth-Omega’s Dragonflyman is dark and brooding, violent and aggressive. And when the two versions crossover the story takes the turn you would expect. But even though there is that sense of “yeah, I’ve seen this before” the story popped for me. So much so that I am immediately hooked and want to read more. There is no doubt that Tom Peyer has a pretty deep story in mind here that is going to explorer where comics have gone. This first issue has grabbed me in a way that few have recently.
Art from Jamal Igle doesn’t really change from one Earth to the other. Great, realistic superhero art inked well by Juan Castro. Andy Troy’s colours are the real differentiator between the worlds. Grim and gritty Earth-Omega colours are toned down a tad, with the action taking place at night. The Golden Age Stinger backup story is a nice touch done to resemble old, newsprint comics even so much so as to let the “art” from the other side of the page show through a tad.
Wow. Honestly. I am very impressed with this first issue and am going to immediately contact my comic shop about adding it to my pull-list. On sale at a Local Comic Shop near you this September 12th, 2018.
Issue: Wrong Earth #1 | Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Writer: Tom Peyer | Artists: Jamal Igle, Juan Castro & Andy Troy
Lettering: Rob Steen | Editor: Tom Peyer
Price: $3.99 – 40 pages magazine format
About Author
