OBLIVION SONG
Interdimensional Rescue
released OUT NOW! Publisher Image Comics
Writer robert Kirkman Artist lorenzo de Felici
One of the few comic writers whose name alone is enough to guarantee serious attention, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has recently wrapped his long-running superhero saga Invincible, but isn’t resting on his laurels. His new ongoing title Oblivion Song sees him mixing gritty action with a Stranger Things-style transdimensional twist.
The story follows scientist Nathan Cole, who’s been working for a decade to rescue survivors from a mysterious incident that yanked a large chunk of the city of Philadelphia into another universe with 300,000 people. Cole’s journeys into this alien dimension are getting more dangerous, and with his government funding drying up, he may only have one chance left to finally track down his brother…
Kirkman is clearly aiming for the same blend of action and relationship drama that’s served him well in the past, but while these first three issues have plenty of intrigue, they’re missing a vital spark of energy and interest. Cole makes for an overly angsty protagonist who’s one step away from being a cliché, and the occasional lurid action sequences don’t make up for a plot that’s stuck in slow-burn mode.
While the art from Lorenzo de Felici has impressive moments and pulls off some excellent alien monstrosities, his visual storytelling is sometimes a little incoherent. Oblivion Song could potentially improve once the story kicks into gear, but right now it feels like the kind of middling cult SF comic that could fade away fast if it didn’t have Kirkman’s name on the cover. Saxon Bullock
The spark for the idea was an article Kirkman read about what a Jack Kirby run on Batman might have been like.
It’s missing a vital spark of energy and interest