The World Returns to Natural: Origins #1 Review

Writer: Clay McLeod Chapman / Artist: Jakub Rebelka / Boom! Look. Post-apocalyptic science probably isn’t the best genre to be reading this week, but Origins looks and sounds so entirely up my alley that I’d be remiss if I didn’t check out the latest offering from Boom!. And from the jump, Origins feels very much in line with something running in parallel with Horizon Zero Dawn. There are recognizable landmarks of past civilization that been overtaken by overgrowth. Humanity now wears nomadic wares as they travel through the wilds. There’s a lingering threat of something greater and it’s up to one person with a complicated legacy and their guardian. Like I said, very much Horizon Zero Dawn adjacent. Although, here one of the principle characters is an android which is a crucial distinguishing factor, given that the frame is that of the android Chloe recounting her adventures with her young charge David, who has to come to terms with his past/future actions, a sentiment which makes drastically more sense when reading the comic properly.

I absolutely love Rebelka’s artwork. It’s a perfect encapsulation of a verdant landscape that would grow in absentia of humanity’s influence, and the reclamation of the earth is very visually appealing, and the detail to the vegetation is engrossing. The depictions of landmarks have such a far- reaching scope and seeing the characters move about the world is a delight. Chapman’s script eases us into the world with at tried and true framing, …