SAVED BY ZERO
Can Black Zero redeem a ruined post-apocalyptic world?

Ruin #1 of 3
Written by Tom Pinchuk
Art by Mike Gallagher
Letters by Phaedra Gallagher
Alterna Comics
Cover Price: $3

Post-apocalyptic science fiction is always tremendously depressing.

Whether it’s DC Comics Kamandi, or The Atomic Knights or Marvel Comics Killraven version of War Of The Worlds, or any of the hundreds of Earth-Conquered-By-Zombies comics currently available, the story unfolds in a predictable pattern:

We see a world not too different from our own, ruined by a natural disaster, or alien invasion, or the final World War or (insert your own favorite catastrophe here). We are supposed to identify with the unconquerable human spirit that refuses to surrender and struggles to regain its humanity against all odds.

But there is a much more melancholy and disturbing subtext. We are drawn in to the plight of people who watched helplessly as the world got pulverized like a Cub Scout in a mosh pit. In other words, we are expected to cheer for, and identify with, the losers.

Doesn’t everyone know it’s much easier to prevent world-wide cataclysm than to wait for a champion to arrive and fix everything after the big-doom happens? This is especially true in a totalitarian post-apocalyptic world ruled by an insane despot. I mean … didn’t anyone ever read anything by George Orwell?

In the Alterna Comics mini-series Ruin, we have all the key elements of good post-apocalyptic science fiction. Lord Carnus has ravaged the world, drowned armies, filled the oceans with blood, and enslaved the few remaining survivors. In short, he’s committed every imaginable crime against humanity except for giving Taylor Hicks a recording contract.

Now Carnus is restless and looking for new challenges. He can’t destroy his three remaining generals because of some binding war magic — which actually sounds less like a combat strategy and more like the rules for a collectible card game.

Poor Carnus just can’t find anyone worth the effort of killing until Black Zero arrives.

Black Zero (many old-time comic fans will remember Black Zero as the name of the villain who caused Superman’s home world to explode in Superman comics #205 “The Man Who Destroyed Krypton” — a story that was never, EVER mentioned again after its initial publication) is an cybernetic lifeform launched into space before Carnus’ conquest, who returns to fix things long past the nick of time.

Crashing on Earth in southern Africa, Black Zero journeys to the camp of Carnus’ Warlord Romm (a name only one letter away from being the “Greatest Of The Space Knights” — another nice in-joke for long-time comic fans), slaughters Romm’s troops and tells Romm’s captives to go forth and multiply. Over all, not a bad day’s work.

However, a sorceress has seen Black Zero at work and has alerted both Carnus and another of Carnus’ allies. But can that knowledge make a difference as the final conflict begins?

I enjoyed Ruin, largely because of Pinchuk’s writing style which is urgent without being overwrought, and Gallagher’s art, which falls somewhere between Moebius and manga with a touch of Don McGregor thrown into the mix.

The last bit of the story introduces Black Zero to its creator and makes it important to read the next issue to see how everything shakes out.

Alterna Comics has produced some enjoyable titles recently and this is one of the company’s better efforts. If you enjoy a good machine-saves-humanity tale, Ruin will be a comic you’ll want in your collection of post-apocalyptic comic books that don’t involve zombies.

Available at the Alterna Comic Shop.

Read the review of Ruin #1 by Geeks of Doom’s Movies at Midnight HERE.