From Europe Comics this sci-fi thriller, The Man Who Invented The World is available now.
What do we really know about the nature of the universe, and about what is hidden in the dark depths of space? Navigator Captain John Bowman is the sole survivor of an exploratory mission to the far reaches of the cosmos. Upon his return, he is plagued by terrible nightmares… but also endowed with an extraordinary power. A power capable of destroying our world… or perhaps reshaping it?
Script by Rodolphe – Art by Bertrand Marchal
This is an interesting read. I wasn’t sure what to expect – from reading the blurb, I expected more science fiction and perhaps some super-powered aspects.
What we get, and this is by no means a bad thing is a thriller with powers and aliens thrown in for some good measure.
It starts off well, with some interesting space elements, our pilot is out in space and has some sort of event. This event takes its time to be reference later on, but the payoff works well.
We then move to a paradise island, where soldiers are allowed to take some much-needed rest. It transpires later that Earth is waging a battle against alien invaders and things are not going well.
This island retreat works well as an introduction as we get to know not only the two main characters but also the makeup of the world and the island setup. The thriller aspect starts well here, on the island.
What follows is a fast-paced escape from this paradise island, and away from those who are spying on them. The why this is so necessary isn’t clear at the beginning, and it also isn’t clear as to why the military/government are so intent on spying on these characters.
In some clever writing, we slowly discover the why – slowly, we get to the bottom of John Bowman’s powers, and we understand why he is so vital.
This features some really intelligent writing – the story draws us in well, without giving away any of the details until we are ready. The characters shock at seeing these powers in action matches our own in the story. There are some well-told moments, and we are fully invested in the ending.
This features some really nice features. I like the way the alien invaders are used, and the Earth governments reaction to it – as well as the darkness to come if they were to lose.
The artwork works really well – there is a lot to play with here. There are, of course, the tropical island scenes, streets, and some excellent space aspects (both at the end and the beginning).
This was an excellent read, that I found I had finished before I knew it. The length of the story is perfect and the acts of the story work really well. Something for science fiction fans and thriller fans.
