There are mysterious cubes in the sky, and they are abducting our teenagers! Unfortunately, they cannot be stopped, and this is the new normal. Check out this crazy world in Break Out #1 by Dark Horse Comics!

BREAK OUT #1 (OF 4)  

Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Wilton Santos
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Spencer Cushing
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 13th, 2022 

Previously in Break Out: Check out a new sci-fi series by Dark Horse Comics! Several massive cube spaceships have materialized over the cities, and they have abducted teenagers. The government and adults have accepted the inevitable, but some people refuse to give up hope.

ASSEMBLE THE TEAM

Break Out #1 starts with a lot of exposition. These cubes appeared and abducted teens, and no one is really doing much about it. We get multiple pages of lush world-building but ultimately take the perspective of Liam. Liam is a senior who has been accepted to Carnegie but has lost his drive when his brother was abducted. He spends his nights looking at the news and checking the dark web. There seems to be a theory that these cubes aren’t alien but are of human origin from another dimension. This gives him an idea, and he assembles a team.

He first recruits his best friend Omar, athlete Rosa, mechanic Nate, ex-girlfriend and chemist Alana, and money bags Pierce. Their goal is to get abducted and break the other teenagers out of the cube. And they plan to do this because Liam bought a crashed “alien” drone from the dark web and has successfully reprogramed it.

WELL DESIGNED

I am very impressed with Break Out #1. I thought I was picking up a fun and exciting science fiction/alien invasion comic book. Instead, I got what feels like a heist story. And a heist story that is done well, for that matter. The first half of the book was exposition and world-building. And it was done in a way that kept me engaged despite not having any attachments to the characters. When I was finally introduced to Liam, I knew I wanted to root for him. Break Out #1 is a special issue, and I am hooked.

The most prominent theme that I got from this story was compliance. The world became complacent and allowed these abductions to continue. Their reasoning was that this crisis doesn’t affect adults; why should we invest all these resources to do something. While this story point is a bit of a stretch, it reflects a massive societal issue. People tend to turn the other cheek when things don’t affect them, and thus injustice continues. Perhaps the next generation will be the people to finally solve some of the world’s issues. Regardless, I appreciated the social commentary that this book was trying to give us.

BOTTOM LINE: SOLID WORK

I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this comic. I didn’t talk much about the art and colors of this story, but each page was detailed and engaging to look at. With solid art and good writing, I have to give this book a 5 out of 5. I don’t think this is a perfect comic, but it checks all the right boxes for me.

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Break Out #1 (of 4)

10.0 Solid Work

Break Out #1 is a great introduction that successfully combines science-fiction, coming-of-age, and a heist story.

• Writing 10
• Art 10
• Coloring 10
• User Ratings (1 Votes) 10