#deep gravity

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Deep Gravity #2 (2014)

Art by: Gabriel Hardman and Matthew Wilson

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Comic books read November 27 - December 3 (2016), part 3 (of 3)

Deep Gravity #1 Fall of Cthulhu #3 The Incredible Hulk #121 Superman #140

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Deep Gravity (2014-2015)

Deep Gravity(TPB) Collecting Issue #1 – #4 From the writers of Star Wars: Legacy! He didn’t get onto the most lucrative interstellar mission for the money—Paxon came to be reunited with the woman he loves. But his high-stakes journey takes him to a savage world full of the galaxy’s most dangerous game, where the gravity can turn your bones to powder. And the reunion isn’t all he’d hoped for, when…

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Deep Gravity #4 Review (Series Finale)

Deep Gravity #4 Review (Series Finale)

Deep Gravity Issue 4

Ending with an explosion and a whimper.

Creative Staff: Story: Mike Richardson Art: Fernando Baldo

What they say: Things literally heat up in the finale to Deep Gravity. Will the crew of The Vanguard survive the disastrous reentry into Poseidon’s atmosphere, much less the deadly beast still stalking its halls?

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers) So you can’t always get what you want in the comics industry. Sometimes series flourish, sometimes they flounder, and sometimes publishers, editors or investors murder them. Which of these, if any, was responsible for the death of Deep Gravity, I don’t know, but something definitely went wrong with this, the fourth and final issue.

We rejoin our trapped and ragged crew as the wreckage of The Vanguard burns upon reentry into Poseidon’s atmosphere. Things are feeling pretty fatalistic when, lo and behold, a rescue ship from the colony arrives! The crew books it, barely outrunning the still-ravenous plant beast on their heels. The creature bites it in the vacuum of space, (of course it does,) and the crew nearly gets toasted again in the rough landing, but they do make it safely to the ground.

And… that’s it. Series over.

And that’s the long and the short of it. From the beginning, Deep Gravity was (ostensibly) establishing its narrative as one of planetary survival. A new ship only arrives once every three years on Poseidon. Human beings can only survive the planet’s stronger gravitational pull and harsh atmosphere for four or five. Get it? The outbound ship goes down and now everyone’s gonna die, what do we do? Commence the drama. The initial arc of the crashing ship seemed poised as only the beginning, the impetus for the true story to get going, but unfortunately this turtle never made it off the beach. It’s a shame, as the dramatic escape and re-entry sequences are very well done. But there is no satisfying resolution for the characters or the plot in general. Steve and Michelle just sort of decide to like each other now because she may die before the next ship makes it out, (we’ll never know,) which is deplorably unbelievable, as Steve had never managed to take his foot out of his mouth up to this point. And of course, the larger, mysterious purpose of the planet Poseidon will never be known either. It really feels like they finished the issue and someone ran into the office and told them the plug was pulled, inciting the hackney and awkward ending. It’s rushed, it’s shallow, and it’s unfortunate.

Sigh…

I will, however, still give a shout out to Francisco Baldo’s art, which I enjoyed right up to the very end. His depictions of the wrecked Vanguard and the fiery reentry sequence were magnificently well lighted, toned and paced, and his unique style is one I’m looking forward to checking out in the future.

In summary: Overall, Deep Gravity is a quality series with a bitterly unsatisfying ending. But these things do happen, series come and go, and some are allowed more graceful deaths than others. Deep Gravity just happened to die bloody. But in the end, I think I would recommend it for a read through.

Grade: C-

Age Rating: 13+ Released By: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: October 29th, 2014 MSRP: $3.99

Check out the full article by Christopher Bennett at http://www.fandompost.com/2014/10/30/deep-gravity-4-review-series-finale/

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Deep Gravity #3 Review

Deep Gravity #3 Review

Deep Gravity Issue 3

Shipwrecked in space is the worst kind of shipwrecked to be, for sure.

Creative staff: Story: Mike Richardson Art: Fernando Baldo

What they say: The crew of the ruined Maelstrom struggle to survive against the rigors of space and deadly alien specimens loose in the wreckage!

Content: (Please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers.) And I thought that things were getting tense in issue two.

But no, here in issue three of Deep Gravity things continue to go from bad, to worse, to oh-crap-my-torso’s-gone kind of bad.

The sudden and action-oriented turn that surprised me in the previous issue continues to unfold here, and thankfully proceeds to get more dramatic as well. The crew of the Maelstrom is hanging from a fine thread, dealing with potential death-by-vacuum, death-by-fire, death-by-alien, and even death-by-sabotage in their attempt to vacate the ship and its decaying orbit. It’s quite a far cry from the curiously meandering introductions of the initial floppy.

In order to fit in all this desperation, events are moving at a blistering pace. Things start off with a modest plan to jump un-protected into the vacuum of space to get at the bridge, which immediately becomes a “holy crap jump into space because a voracious alien just bisected a guy behind us” kind of deal. This is immediately followed up by revelations of sabotage, explosions, and a light, searing jaunt into the planet’s atmosphere. There’s some dialogue in there as well, but it’s mostly death screams, heated shouting/insults, and one fairly awkward and out of place romantic admission of guilt. But given the situation, it’s mostly pretty lively back and forth.

I’m only gaining more appreciation for Fernando Baldo’s unique, gritty art style as well. The highlight of the issue, the visceral and panic-stricken space jump, is beautifully rendered and perfectly paced. His depictions of space and sci-fi imagery are pleasantly out of the ordinary, popping and sparkling like a dark Lisa Frank sticker collage. If there’s one grievance, it’s the somewhat generic monster design, but overall the art continues to impress.

In summary: The crew’s time in the Maelstrom looks to be ending soon, and things are coming to a head. People have made their peace and dicks have received their comeuppance. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess. I blazed through this issue and overall it’s a very smooth, very enjoyable read.

Grade: A-

Age Rating: 13+ Released By: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: September 24, 2014 MSRP: $3.99

Check out the full article by Christopher Bennett at http://www.fandompost.com/2014/09/30/deep-gravity-3-review/

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Deep Gravity #2 Review

Deep Gravity #2 Review

Deep Gravity Issue 2

A calm, uneventful ride home turns into a desperate, deep space survival situation.

Creative Staff: Story: Mike Richardson Art: Fernando Baldo

What they say: Third class engineer Paxon’s return trip home from the planet Poseidon takes a dramatic turn for the worse as The Vanguard is struck down in orbit, leaving him and a ragged band of survivors looking for a way to get planet side!

Content: (Please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers:) Issue two of Deep Gravity takes a significant and dramatic turn from the series’ principal introduction. Where the first issue functioned as a relatively slow but intriguing orientation to the hostile world of the planet Poseidon, humanities presence there, and engineer Paxon’s not so sensible reason for making the trip, (stalking his ex, basically,) issue two begins with the Earth-bound ship The Vanguard being blasted apart in orbit and the struggle of Paxon and a shell-shocked group of survivors making their way to the bridge, and hopefully, rescue. Standing in their way are out-of-control fires, stretches of vacuum, and multitudes of escaped and deadly animal specimens.

It makes for a pretty tense affair.

I certainly wasn’t expecting this kind of 180 in Deep Gravity’s narrative, especially a turn that takes place entirely off-planet. If anything I expected things to heat up on the surface and go from there. (Though that’s coming, I’m sure.) But this is a good thing. The Vanguard is the only exit off-planet, and now it’s gone. The stakes have been raised significantly, something I was worried may not have happened given the first issues fairly soft opening.

The suddenly fast-moving plot is paced deftly and Richardson does an excellent job of breeding numerous engaging conflicts not just between characters, but in the overall plot due to the fact that everyone is now trapped not only on the ship, but the deadly planet Poseidon as well. And rescue won’t be coming for at least three years, the minimum amount of time to make a one-way trip. Everyone is in some deep shit and I love it, not least because of the somewhat Alien-esque tone that comes across in the issue, what with everyone being trapped in a spaceship with hungry monstrosities and all. If I’ve got one gripe, it’s with the character Drummond, who is ostensibly the villain in this scenario. His oppositions to Paxon’s plans for the survivors lack any kind of real logic, bordering on outright stupidity, and feel a little bit like him simply filling the role of Paxon’s foil. But it’s not a plot de-railing kind of problem.

If anything, the art has improved as well. Baldo’s panels have opened up a bit to accommodate the more destructive and speedy scope of the issue. I still admire his grainy, textured style, and there’s a few really excellent splash pages depicting the carnage wrought on The Vanguard and her crew.

In summary: Deep Gravity #2 takes a pleasantly unexpected turn and is a much quicker, engaging read, and I expect that trend to continue for coming issues. I’d say it’s definitely worth jumping in on the ground floor of this series.

Grade: A-

Age Rating: 13+ Released By: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: August 27th, 2014 MSRP: $3.99

Check out the full article by Christopher Bennett at http://www.fandompost.com/2014/09/04/deep-gravity-2-review/

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Group Review - Deep Gravity #1 (Dark Horse)

Group Review – Deep Gravity #1 (Dark Horse)

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Writer: Mike Richardson, Gabriel Hardman, Corinna Bechko Artist: Fernando Baldó Release Date: 30th July 2014

Ross Says…

It’s perhaps because we’re a little bit spoiled for choice when it comes to great sci-comics these days – this month alone we’ve got at least three great, established titles, as well as a pretty fantastic new one – that this, the tale of a team of…

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Deep Gravity #1 Review

Deep Gravity #1 Review

An enjoyable intro to a planetary-exploration sci-fi romp.

Creative Staff: Story: Mike Richardson Art: Fernando Baldo

What They Say: Third class engineer Steven Paxon, in search of an old love, finds himself on Poseidon, the first habitable planet discovered and inhabited by humanity. But Poseidon is a dangerous place, with strong gravity and lethal wildlife, and the weary Paxon quickly begins to regret his hasty decision to make the trip, old love or not.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers): The “Dangerous Planet” is a tried and true theme in science fiction. The plots generally range from a small, exploratory cadre of fatally curious lab rats led by a dashing captain that come upon the lone and mysterious planetoid, to the larger scale of what we have here with Deep Gravity: Humanity already having a fairly well established, but small, colony in the midst of a hostile environment.

The strange and dangerous planet in question here is called Poseidon, where gravity is stronger, radiation is stronger, and the local plant-based animal life all apparently want to kill you. It’s a rough place to hang your hat, basically.

But humans, being humans, decide that the six year round trip is worth the wait to cart specimens and minerals back and forth, and for our protagonist and engineer third class Stephen Paxon specifically, it’s a chance to leave his benign life on Earth behind him and reconnect with his old flame Michelle, already working on Poseidon. Things don’t go well of course, this being a man-eating planet and all.

The big attraction of exploratory sci-fi is (in this case,) the planet itself. How do its natural structures work? Its gravity, its animals, its air and sky and plants, the more creative and outlandish, the better. And, of course, the mystery that drives the whole narrative: What’s really happening on this planet? The animals and whatnot are just the surface of things. Some broader idea must be at work behind the scenes. And as attractive as the planet itself can be, you need a compelling cast of flawed and driven humans walking around on it to move things along. Deep Gravity’s playlist of characters isn’t exactly the most dynamic lot I’ve ever read, but each character fulfills their role thus far efficiently, from the wizened elderly captain to the dickish company “Efficiency Officer.”

The accomplished writing is accompanied by some interesting artistic flourishes. Fernando Baldo has a very competent hand and adds some enticing textural work to his models and environments. Everything has a kind of gritty, sandy look to it, which contrasts nicely with the surrounding space imagery.

In Summary: All told, while the plot, tropes, and cast of characters may not be the most original or unique in the world, Deep Gravity proves that even a well-trodden story can be made enjoyable again by solid writing and handsome art. And overall the issue establishes a strong beginning for what looks like a very promising and readable series, especially for fans of hard, golden age styled science fiction, (like myself.)

Grade: B+

Age Rating: 13+ Released By: Dark Horse Books Release Date: July 30th, 2014 MSRP: $3.99

Check out the full article by Christopher Bennett at http://www.fandompost.com/2014/07/30/deep-gravity-1-review/