“Southern Cross” #1 – 8 out of 10 – Image; Written by Becky Cloonan (“East Coast Rising”); Drawn by Andy Belanger (“Kill Shakespeare”); Coloring by Lee Loughridge (“Fury MAX”); Lettering by Serge LaPointe (“Assassin’s Creed Brahman”); In Stores 3/11/2015.
“Southern Cross” #1 begins in a familiar situation, standing in line to pass through security, before catching a flight. The book starts in the opening credit pages, cleverly working the names into what would be arrival and departure boards. However it doesn’t take long to see this isn’t the TSA – what with a giant laser gun pointing at the entrance to the check point. Here, readers meet Alex Braith boarding the Southern Cross, a space tanker on a six day journey to Titan, “A God-forsaken moon made of ice and oil… Run by a company as dirty as the petrol they sell.”
Through a combination of dialogue and first-person narration, Becky Cloonan’s first issue of this on-going series explains that the protagonist is traveling to find answers about the mysterious death of her sister, who was an administrator on Titan for the ZEMI corporation. Cloonan is quick to show Alex’s short-tempered and violent nature. Most of the over-sized 32 page issue is spent displaying the protagonists misanthropy. Even the introspection about her sister’s death seems cold and angry rather than mournful and sad.
Adding to the cold feel of the book, Andy Belanger does an outstanding job to make the reader feel the chill of space. Augmenting the frigid feel, Lee Loughridge’s colors are metallic yet unpolished. The monochromatic muted color palette could be the same used by the engineers at the Weyland-Yutani Corp (see “Alien” anthology for reference). All the characters are drawn in heavy coats, jackets, vests, and dusters. But these aren’t boring character designs. All of the characters have a heavy metal edge (both heavy metal the music genre and “Heavy Metal” the comic magazine). Mohawks, dreadlocks, scars, and gladiator boots are the norm for those aboard the Southern Cross. Boarding Belanger on “Southern Cross” team makes perfect sense. Not only is Belanger one the best contemporary horror comic artists in the business (see his “Black Church” and his issues of DC’s New 52 “Swamp Thing”), but he has also illustrated art work for the heavy-metal band Sword, the melodic death-metal band The Black Dahlia and the Vangelis’ “Blade Runner”-inspired, electronicore band Mega Drive.
In fact, upon my second reading of the issue, I put on Mega Drive’s 2014 album “198XAD” (Belanger did the cover art for this album). I have to say the record’s driving use of melodic synthesizers and mechanical drum beats is the perfect soundtrack for this comic book. (Note to self: contact Mega Drive and “Southern Cross” team about promotional cross-over project.)
Belanger’s detail in the landscape is extensive. The space port, the Southern Cross’ interior and exterior – even his concept of space – can only be described as Moebius-inspired. Fans of the great Jean Giraud’s “The Long Tomorrow” and his conceptual designs for “The Fifth Element” and Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” will continually nod their heads in approval while reading this first issue.
Though in contrast to his detailed mise en scène, the faces of the characters are dynamically simple. The most intriguing aspect of Belanger’s nearly line-free faces are their eyes: slightly over-sized in proportion and wide set. The obtuse use of facial design is amazingly effective in drawing readers into the happenings of the characters. The smooth faces and large almond eyes keep the reader centered on dialogue in a world that is prone to “Where’s Waldo”-esque page gazing.
“Southern Cross” #1 earns an 8 out of 10. For the first issue of a series, there really isn’t a whole lot in the plot that hooks the reader. So much effort is put into showing the violent and offish nature of Alex, that readers may end up feeling disinterested with her. That said, later on in the series, I suspect her jaundiced disposition in this first issue will play heavily. And while I hoped for more plot and a breadth of character development, the art is so intricate and engulfing, at the end of the comic I just wanted more. If you don’t mind stowing-away and laying low, “Southern Cross” is going to make a trip that will be well worth your time.
Read this comic if you enjoyed “The Long Tomorrow,” “Total Recall,” and/or “Blade Runner.”
Click for PDF preview of “Southern Cross” #1
Trent Hunsaker is a podcaster and popculturalist. Podcasting for Kevin Smith’s SModcast Internet Radio and the A Part of Him Podcast Network, he also operates Death Ray Comics, sweats, and reads comics – but mostly just sweats.