Comic Review: Outpost Zero #1

Outpost Zero #1

Image Comics

Writer: Sean McKeever

Artist: Alexandre Tefenkgi

“In OPZ, there is no escape.” -Sean Kelley McKeever,

Outpost Zero‘s huge debut issue is nothing short of amazing. From the cover art to the coloring to the storyline, everything about this first issue has me hooked.

Featured on the cover taking a space selfie is 14-year-old Alea and her friends, Mitchell, Steven, and Lyss, who must soon receive their work assignments for life in the enclosed biosphere known as Outpost Zero. OPZ is an earth-like biome secluded in outer space where each citizen plays a vital role in the upkeep of the incredibly unstable infrastructure of the dome. Outside of OPZ is the frost, devoid of all life. Its only travelers are Alea’s parents, who are on Discovery Team. DT is no doubt the most dangerous job in the outpost, yet Alea, our reckless and highly intelligent protagonist, hopes to follow in her parents’ footsteps when she is of age. Despite being only 14, she and her friends are intensely focused on their futures. Her desires to join Discovery Team are met by Steven’s carefully constructed objections that it is too dangerous and not an essential part of their lives. Although he is right about the danger it presents, his concerns for her safety are not taken seriously by her. OPZ offers many multi-dimensional characters with one of the most complicated being Steven. He and Alea seem to have quite a bit of chemistry, which is shown in the dialogue and in their body language, immaculately displayed by Alexandre Tefenkgi’s artwork. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, even speaking to Sam, a character no one else seems to care for, while Alea comes across as ambitious. Alea believes more than anything that joining Discovery Team would be a necessary danger in order to continue what normalcy they have in the biomeAlthough the storyline is not complicated, the characters are, and each one has their own issues to face. Not only are they under intense pressure by their parents to perform well on their upcoming aptitude tests, halfway through the issue an external conflict occurs. The biome was never the perfect place to live, and with danger quickly approaching, the teens in OPZ must grow up quickly to preserve what little they have.

The art in Outpost Zero is clean but detailed, utilizing a wide arrange of color palettes. Tefenkgi builds anticipation flawlessly throughout the panels with no dialogue needed. McKeever’s story promises to be one that is both intricate and easy to follow. Expectations for this series is high. Hopefully, the OPZ team can continue to build on this nearly flawless foundation they’ve built.