Broken World #1
BOOM! Studios

Written by: Frank Barbiere
Art by: Christopher Peterson
Color by: Marissa Louise

I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like the biggest trend in story telling has become “The End of the World.” It makes me feel extremely nervous like we are all being prepared for something. This universal yet terrifying idea has permeated every medium and become the most popular setting in which to tell a story. The down side of this is if you want to tell an end of the world story you have to do it in a unique and exciting way that will engage your audience and make you stand out from the crowd.

Broken World #1 from BOOM! Studios and the mind of Frank Barbiere is yet another end of the world story, but Barbiere sets himself apart with an emotional slice of life story that is accompanied by the perfect set up for a much larger and more interesting tale than you typical “end of the world” fare. This first issue is primarily introduction  but Barbiere injects enough emotion and tension throughout that it never feels bogged down or exposition heavy. This is probably because the majority of this book is introducing us to a world that will no longer exist. So instead we focus on our main character Elena Marlow and the emotional journey that she goes through as she tries to desperately escape extinction. Without giving too much away Barbiere’s premise is reveled at the end of the issue and after reading Broken Worlds final pages I found myself with an enormous smile and a feeling of intense anticipation.

Broken World’s art is subtle but also just as character focused, as Christopher Peterson really pays attention to expressions which each conversation giving our characters that extra boost of emotional impact. I was most impressed though by Broken World’s color pallet as Marissa Louise does a magnificent job of bringing a plethora of color to this dying world. I especially enjoyed her use of reds, and light as our characters and world prepare for the end.

Broken World #1 is an emotional journey to the end of the world. Barbiere sets up his unique premise with strong character focus and while the pace is a little slow the payoff is massive. The team of Peterson and Louise bring an art style that is minimal yet striking giving this apocalyptic tale the color and brightness it needs. Broken World is a must read if you’re for those who love the end of the world genre and are looking for a fresh take on the most used setting in media.