Okay, so yeah, I tend to spend all my comic book reading time reviewing comics from the main two companies, and occasionally, some from Boom Studios, but I had the chance once again to review something a little different. A comic book writer, Dino Caruso, reached out to me on Twitter asking if I’d check out this arc he’d written along with another writer, Shawn Richison for the Horror Comics anthology from Antarctic Press!
‘Origin Point’ is a story that can best be described as a snake that ends up biting its own tale. What I mean by that is that it involves one of my favourite themes; Time Travel. The story starts with a mysterious Dr Francis Liebrandt, a scientist who has been attempting to create animate creatures. The novel shows how Dr Liebrandt was denied the funding for his research in creating these creatures. Luckily for him, an equally mysterious organization called the Science Underground, agree to help fund him. One day however, it seems that their luck has run out and Dr Liebrandt and Ms Waters, the woman who inducted him into the organization are being hunted down. In an attempt to save his research Dr Liebrandt sends his creatures into the past. We then cut to the past where the story focuses on three characters. One that looks like a vampire, one that is clearly a werewolf and one that seems to be a man made from stone. All are Dr Liebrandt’s creations. The vampire is on a mission to control the land and has the help of his brother, the werewolf. When their third brother awakens, the vampire wants to enlist him, but the stone man has a sense of morals and can’t side with his brothers, thus creating an enmity that will last for a lifetime. Can the stone man hold off the evil of his brothers? And just what do the notes that he was transported with mean?
So I will start by saying that it’s no mean feat writing a comic book. Especially when you don’t necessarily have the financial backing of a conglomerate behind you. ‘Origin Point’ attempts to take certain themes which have been explored before, and combine them into a product that is fresh. I personally am a massive fan of time travel stories and liked that we start in the present and go back to the past before returning to the present. Some of the characters, including Dr Liebrandt and the stone man are also especially intriguing. That being said, there were a few points where I felt that the series did lack. The first was that given there are jumps in time, it would have been prudent to have an introduction as to who each of the characters were because I felt that I was playing catch up a little. Thus the rating for this novel being advanced!
The artwork was interesting to say the least. I think because there were also these small extras at the end of each issue, which were all drawn a little different, it kept things fresh. The covers were all so different, but this one I really liked. Shoutout to J.C Grande and Paul Little on that artwork. Overall, this was a chance to read something a little different, and I commend the creators for their project!
Favourite Panel:
I liked that these guys had all this courage about an unknown threat!
Favourite Character:
I actually don’t know the name of the character. But it’s the guy who’s fighting for good. Clearly.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★½
Character Development: ★★★
Artwork: ★★★
Enjoyability: ★★★
Re-readability: ★★½
Level: Advanced