One of the things that bugs me the most about any comic book is the pacing. Sometimes a writer takes very little time to tell a story and sometimes they will let it drag for long periods of time. It is funny how after almost a century of storytelling in comic books, writers still have this problem. Which leads me to this second issue of David Hine’s sci-fi thriller.

It is quite obvious now that Hine is going for the slow burn with this story. We get some more intrigue and twists with this murder mystery. But it feels like he is taking a bit too much time to set up the mystery here. Hine is trying to breath more depth into this universe he’s created and I admire that. But considering how much time we spend at this bar it felt like he was lingering there a bit too long. Other moments such as the mortician possibly having sex with a dude, well his brain anyways (don’t ask) or the ending definitely keeps me interested. But hopefully Hine doesn’t go at such a slow pace for the rest of the mini.

I really do like Doug Braithwaite as an artist because his painted style works for this sci-fi setting. His creature designs are top notch and there is a bit of a Star Wars feel to this whole place. Credit should go to colorist Ulises Arreola for making this a vibrant planet but also setting the tone for many of the settings. Like the opening scene being set in a blue tone, making it a dreary atmosphere as we see corpses being dissected. The only problem with this was there were some wonky layouts in here. The moment where the sheriff uses his ‘stun gun’ was confusing and I didn’t get that it ‘hurt like hell’ as he used it. Also, some bizarre anatomy even for a book taking place on an alien planet.

This has been a bit of an uneven beginning for this mini but I am hopeful it can only get better from here. David Hine is writing for a slow burn here but the mystery is intriguing. Even with some unevenness the art by Doug Braithwaite is more than enough reason to continue here. Next month I expect we’ll get some more action and fast pace storytelling, this mini could use some.