| SYNOPSIS: A famous Japanese writer/philosopher and several acolytes land on the mysterious Island Zero, on the farthest northwestern tip of the Japanese archipelago. The object of opposing territorial claims by Japan and Russia, it is thus occupied by neither. Sneering at such concerns, the arrogant "master storyteller" claims it for Japan, but he and his followers find something unexpected -- the immense, rotting carcasses of vaguely prehistoric monsters. They've also caught the attention of Planetary, which has helped preserve the secret since uncovering it years earlier. Jakita tells Snow that after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, there were reports of a storm -- or something -- which resulted, five years later, in Island Zero being populated by monsters. Radioactive mutants? Refugees from a door opened from a parallel earth? Extra-terrestrial? No one is sure, but what is certain is that the monsters never left the island, and died off by the mid-'70s. A small armed defense and observation force was left on the island, which also responds to the trespassers. Planetary arrives on the scene too late to prevent the writer from unleashing a deadly nerve gas, killing everyone all but Snow and Wagner. En route to the military station to gather information, the two are awestruck by a giant, dragon-like creature flying overhead. Evidently monsters still live on Island Zero after all. REVIEW: The first -- and thus far only -- issue of the series where a good portion of the action occurs outside the presence of our heroes. The perspective is sorely missed in fairly uncomfortable scenes of the Japanese visitors bickering with one another. We encounter one of the monstrous carcasses before the series' stars even show up, which is actually somewhat fitting, since as is often the case, Planetary arrives on the scene too late to stop events from unfolding. In this instance, few tears are shed over the outcome. This issue wasn't wholly satisfying for me, in part because it is relatively slight. Beyond the naturally compelling notion of an island populated with giant monsters, perhaps refugees from another reality, there's little else to excite the imagination here. Unless you're a big fan of the Japanese writer represented here, I guess.
The highlight? Seeing the excitement and exuberance, on the issue's final page, that make Jakita so very likable. Despite the black leather, she is not utterly cool and detached -- she's a thrill-seeker, certainly, but she gets her highs from beauty. That's the joy of this character, and one of the contradictions (since she sometimes seems content to merely observe, much to Snow's dismay) that makes her fascinating. Moreover, we do at least learn a little more about the characters: Snow and Jakita both have a cigarette once every couple of years, hinting at a previous connection that we'll find out more about in later issues. | |  Random Thoughts:Planetary's offices across the globe create plenty of opportunities for new characters and new dilemmas in the future. The immense carcasses are right out of classic Japanese monster movies -- Mothra, Ghidra, and Godzilla himself. They really did die off in the '70s...subsequent attempts to revive the Godzilla franchise have been failures, alas. Snow's disdain for sarcasm isn't personal toward the Drummer; he doesn't like taking it from anyone. We learn more about Snow's powers, which manifest here as heat subtraction. We further learn that Wagner doesn't receive significantly more information from Planetary's fourth man than Snow does. A later issue (#7) indicates we'll be seeing more of Island Zero in the future, so hopefully the return trip will develop it a bit more. RATING: 7/10. Nice visuals, but kind of short on information. We're glad to see the supporting characters killed off. |
