Poor Buck Rogers. No sooner did he save the Earth from an invading force of genetically altered animals, he’s now under house arrest and charged with crimes against humanity. But while under the direct care of Dr. Huer, Buck is given the opportunity to see what the future holds.
BUCK ROGERS #6
Writer: SCOTT BEATTY
Penciller CARLOS PAUL
Covers: CARLOS RAFAEL (75%), JOHN WATSON (25%)
Colorist: CARLOS LOPEZ
And it isn’t a pretty future for those who want to believe the world is a better place than the one we have now. This issue doesn’t tell us what has happened to the rest of the world, but the United States of America broke up 300 years ago into a series of Orgs – city states that have a very tenuous with one another. Readers are treated to a quick glimpse of Han, a floating city ruled by Airlords. Wilma is there negotiating some kind of treaty, but we barely get to see her in this issue. Readers are however introduced to Buddy, Wilma’s younger brother, who for some reason tags along with Buck and Dr. Huer on their trip around the region.
Buck even has a chance to visit Washington, D.C. which has sunk back into the swamp, and radioactive mutations have turned the creatures into wild monsters. While camped for the night, Dr. Huer and Buck speculate the nature of time travel, and pretty much reach the conclusion that one can only jump forward in time, but not backward, leaving Buck with a decision; stick in the present and deal with his trial, or attempt to jump forward to the future once more.
There are a lot of jumps in this issue as Scott Beatty tries to shove 500 years of history into a few pages of story. While it does give us a glimpse of what is going on, it in no way covers everything we as readers, or Buck Rogers needs to know in order to make an informed decision about the current situation. Because Buck and company travel most of the issue, the jumps in story work without being distracting. The end result is Buck questioning how involved he was in the current events, and thus propels him find answers.
This issue is a very good jumping on point for those wanting to get into the Buck Rogers title, but a little knowledge about what has gone on before would be helpful. Dynamite, and other publishers, might want to make a habit of including a quick Previously In… leader in the book to help those making the transition into the book.
Carlos Paul’s artwork is okay. I don’t like criticizing artists when my own drawing skills extend just beyond the range of stick figures, but here Paul’s facial work is really wonky. He’s got a good grasp of nailing Buck from panel to panel, but everyone else, and especially the female characters, end up with noses that look out of joint, or eyes extending further than they should in a profile shot. His renderings of buildings and other mechanical items are fine, it’s just the faces that continue to bother me.
Buck Rogers has quickly become a story that allows one from the past to reflect upon the future, and while this issue is filled with some action, it isn’t the same action we’ve seen in previous issues. Even with the gun fight in the swamp, and the crazy air car gag through the city, this is a very quiet contemplative issue. Buck Rogers #6 continues to draw me into the story for now, and earns 3 out of 5 Stars.