Fallen World #1 (Comics) Review

In the far future, a nightmare is unfolding. Bloodshot, the Eternal Warrior, and Rai come face to face with it in Fallen World #1.

The Fallen World

Valiant’s superhero universe has pretty much always been split between the current era and the far future of 4001 AD. That’s not to say that it’s been an even split, but it’s been a split nonetheless.

Since its reboot, we’ve seen a bit of 4001, but nowhere near what was thematically prevalent back in the 90s. Though that might be changing with Fallen World.

This new mini-series feels like an establishing event for what might be to come. That’s not to say that it’s lacking in stakes and drama though, because it’s got plenty of both.

Premise

New Japan has fallen. That of course, is the “fallen world” in the title of this new Valiant book. It’s a fitting one too. Basically, things haven’t been the best since the half-machine hero Rai rebelled against the all-controlling AI Father aboard New Japan.

Sure he freed the human and android population of New Japan from the machinations of said overlord, but in doing so he completely destroyed the orbiting station. New Japan was no simple space station either, it was massive, and home to millions.

Now it’s in pieces, some surviving re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere in better shape than others. Those chunks sit in the middle of the wasteland that is the surface of the planet, besieged by warring tribes.

A trio of heroes are the centerpiece of this tale. Rai you might’ve guessed, but we’ve also got The Eternal Warrior and Bloodshot. Both are basically immortal, and so both are present.

The world is going to need all the help it can get too, because Father isn’t dead yet.

Artwork

The art in Fallen World #1 is somewhat varied. And by that I mean the impact it makes. Adam Pollina does a good job overall, but I found the art a bit of a mix.

It isn’t “bad” by any means though, and I was actually wowed by some of Pollina’s work. The designs on the characters and far-future tech is awesome and it looks great through most of the story.

Gilad (Eternal Warrior) looks as dull as always (not Pollina’s fault), but Bloodshot and Rai are really neat. I haven’t been keeping up, so I don’t know if this is truly new or not, but Bloodshot’s all-red look in particular is awesome.

Overall the art was a little spotty though. I found that some poses came off weird (there’s no other way to put it) when contrasted against the rest of the book. Again though, I don’t want to give the impression that Pollina’s work wasn’t solid, because it was.

Maybe I shouldn’t have looked at that stunner of a cover from JonBoy Meyers first. It’s the one that heads up this review.

Writing

While I thought the art was a little spotty, the writing was not. Dan Abnett is working up some magic with this story, in just about every way.

The tale itself surrounds the return of Father, and Abnett does it in a very cool way, that you won’t be expecting till you get to it’s early reveal. It’s only a few pages in, but it comes off great, and Abnett does kind of sucker you in.

Likewise, the character are written well. Rai is the reluctant leader, and has renounced violence (uh-huh). Bloodshot is kind of going mad, as he hears constant distress signals in his head. And The Eternal Warrior is actually really awesome, being just plain tired and quite cranky at this point.

It’s all around great stuff, and actually does make me want to read the next chapter.

Overall

I’ve probably gone a little long with this review, so thanks for sticking around (assuming you haven’t just skipped to this part). Fallen World is a terrifically fun book though, and easy to talk about since there’s so much happening.

With everything coming together so well it’s an easy recommendation, even with the minor issues I had. Also worth mentioning is that it’s an excellent jumping on point for Valiant’s far future. If it’s ever intrigued you, this is the place to begin since Fallen World #1 kicks off a whole new era.

A review copy was supplied to BrutalGamer by Valiant

Fallen World #1
Release date: May 1st, 2019
Publisher: Valiant Comics
Written by: Dan Abnett
Illustrated by: Adam Pollina
MSRP: $3.99 USD