Black Science is an epic science fiction adventure, spanning multiple parallel dimensions with the most unique creatures and landscapes seen in comics today. Written by Rick Remender, with pencils by Matteo Scalera, colors by Dean White and letters by Rus Wooten, this is a gorgeous and action-packed book that will delight any sci-fi fan.
In the distant future, Grant McCay, leader of the Anarchist League of Scientists, unlocks “black science,” which allows him and his team of Dimensionauts to hop back and forth across dimensions, or so that’s the plan. Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan, otherwise we’d have a very boring story. The “pillar,” which is the tool that allows them to hop between dimensions, has been sabotaged and now the team has to deal with unpredictable jumps between dimensions – they have no idea when they will jump, where they will end up, or what types of worlds and creatures they’ll run into. You can already imagine how many things can go wrong and how many unexpected turns things could take if you’re at the whim of random dimension-jumps.
While set across ever-changing worlds, the story development is firmly rooted in it’s characters, who are as unique as the worlds they come across. The dimensionauts are led by genius scientist grant McCay, specialists, their boss (who writes the checks), muscle, and his two children. Yes, he brought his teenage daughter and pre-teen son on this ridiculous journey. As things spiral out of control, it becomes less about discovering how to save humanity from all its problems, and more about keeping his children and team alive. What ensues is page-after-page of high-concept adventure, with stripper frogs, fish soldiers, ape men, and alternate universes across time and space. If that seems hard to follow, it sometimes is – Remender keeps a breakneck pace and the artwork hops from panel to panel with no time to breathe. It’s one of those books that takes a couple reads to really soak in everything that is happening. Thankfully, it’s a very fun and multi-layered read.
The artwork by Mattero Scalero and Dean White is some of the best being published in comics right now. Matteo’s character designs and panel layouts keep perfect pace with the story, and perfectly capture an absolute out-of-this-world setting. The various creatures and landscapes are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, such as a tribe of Native Americans decked out in full Dimensionaut suits and laser guns, but still donning traditional feathered headdresses – it’s pretty bad ass, and just a small hint at what you’ll see throughout the book.
Does this get Shortboxed?
Yes, Black Science is a great example of how big and high-concept a story can get when told in the comic book format. The creative team of Remender and Scalera are a perfect pair to tell this incredibly fast-paced, character-driven, super sci-fi adventure and it’s definitely a book you should check out of you’re into space travel, multiple dimensions, action, and character development. It hits all the points of what makes for a great comic book, and the story matches the artwork in size and scope, so it definitely deserves a visit. This is one of my favorite ongoing series right now.
Where to get it
Black Science is currently an ongoing series, but the first two trade paperback volumes are now available. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available on Amazon, or you can find them at your local comic shop (LCS).
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