Comic Review: Port of Earth #7

Port of Earth #7

Image Comics

Writer: Zach Kaplan

Artist: Andrea Mutti and Vladimir Popov

Port of Earth #7 continues Rice and McIntyre’s chase of a particularly dangerous alien species who has been the assassin that has been scheming here on earth. This time finally entering the mysterious Port of Earth that the Alien Consortium had set up on earth as a type of way station for alien travelers. The world that Kaplan has created in this series is the best part of this book. The conspiracy surrounding why the Port of Earth was constructed and its main goal is the major motivator to continue the series.

It is unclear whether certain men and women on Earth were convinced to create the Port of Earth for personal gain and whether they know the larger purpose of the Port in general. This is explained well in an interview that is constructed to frame the action of the story. In this interview, however, it is clear that the events around Rice and McIntyre have already happened, and humanity is dealing with the aftermath. The conspiracy is thickened as the panels during the interview show sketchy deals between one of the men who built the port and presumably the aliens who wanted it to be built. The fact that the interview is peppered with phrases like “That’s one Interpretation” emphasizes the idea that this Port was not built with humanity’s well-being in mind but rather so that aliens could exploit the planet.

The second half of the comic focuses on Rice and McIntyre finally arriving at the Port and taking their first steps into the facility. Although this should be exciting, the writing of both the characters and the port itself fall flat. It seems like Rice and McIntyre fall into classic archetypes of lawful characters being either “by the books” or “pursue at all costs” types of officers. Although humans are not allowed on the port, the automated system that runs the port doesn’t seem to mind the two agents who have just arrived, even supplying them with the what they need to survive and track the Alien they are pursuing. The final reveal at the end of the issue that there is not one but three different aliens that they are going to have a fight adds some intrigue, but not enough to overcome the shortcomings of the series thus far. The art in this series has spots where it is masterfully done and others where it leaves something to be desired. For instance, the use of glasses to reveal or hide the interviewee’s pupils in the opening interview really adds to the intrigue and mystery surrounding the Port. However, when it transitions to Rice and McIntyre in the helicopter, many of the panels have faces that are either over details or not detailed enough. In these panels, the motivation and emotions of the agents are lost. However, it picks back up when the agents enter the ports “ecosystems” that have been set up for different alien races. Mutti and Popov in these scenes let their imaginations loose depicting alien environments in grand detail and brilliant color. The color especially pops in these panels, especially when compared to the drab colors they use to illustrate the earth outside of the port.