Hybrid Earth #2 Review

- Gregg Dietz
Reviews Editor

This is the second issue in a series though Scattered comics. The title aptly named Hybrid Earth refers to the synopsis, “In December of 2015 the nano-bomb was created, fusing nuclear and nano technology together. The first, and last bomb, was detonated into Earth’s atmosphere. When the irradiated nanomachines came back down, they merged humans with machines.” Written by Rustin Petrae and Co-Written & Artwork by Frederick Allison Jr, they come in with a level of expertise that rivals some of the veterans of the most popular comics. As a note though, I’ve not read issue #1, this review is solely based on issue #2.

I’d like to start with the characters, The main protagonist is Xander Hastings. He works for the Hybrid Enforcement Agency and is a no frills cop who plays by his own rules as long as it gets results. I really enjoyed this guy, he was cocky but rightly so. Many times I was expecting a depressed cop on the edge but instead, he’s a guy who does his job while having fun doing it, also he really enjoys hamburgers.

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The next person we meet is Cameron Abbott, she is the sister of Willa, who was featured in the first issue I’m assuming because Xander references getting his ass kicked by her. She’s a scientist and here’s where the writing gets very clever. During Xander’s visit to her house, the antagonist of the issue shows up, he starts firing on them, Xander then shoots him in the chest, due to him not being human, he stands back up. Between him getting laid out and getting back up, Cameron starts asking a myriad of questions that create a very clear idea of who she is. The reader is instantly understanding of Cameron and that is something that I tip my proverbial hat to.

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The story arch through the issue is actually quite simple, and thats great. Rustin and Frederick do an amazing job building a world around these characters without leaving them behind. Story should never be about the world, it should be about the characters and I never felt that it was about anything else directly. I love the idea of a storm that creates hybrid man/machine people. This will allow the comic to go on indefinitely. As with any good story, there is a main story arch, which this has. Xander’s job is to find out what is causing these green-eyed maniacs to be causing havok. However the promise of more villains down the line makes this so much more.

The art style is definitely up my alley. I love the sketched lines with color. It gives the world a gritty feel while also letting the reader know it’s going to be fun. Frederick has a unique way of allowing the reader to study faces that are showing emotion but also still having that feel that makes it his style. Another thing that a lot of artist strive for in comics that I personally feel have a strong tendency to fall flat, are action shots that stay within the realm of physics. Frederick not only makes sure that all the characters have weight, but also how the clothes and hair would move in that exact moment. This allows the reader to feel invested in reality and closer to the world.

My gripes are basically nitpicks, but this is a good thing because it means the comic was great. There are a few moments of dialog that took me out of the story for a moment. These lines mainly come from Xander. There aren’t many of these but I just felt that they were out of place for the situation that was happening.

My overall opinion on the issue is thats its wonderful. I want to continue the story and go back and read issue #1. The ideas that are implemented through character design and world buliding are so fantastic that I anticipate where it will go. I highly recommend checking this one out. I give Hybrid Earth #2 a 9 outta 10.

If you are interested in picking this comic up for yourself, click here.

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