By Cat Wyatt
Prism Stalker is a new series from Image Comics, and it’s really no surprise that Image picked this series up (I’ve learned that Image tends to more comfortable with experimenting with different art and storytelling styles, with the end result being an exceptionally diverse catalog). It’s described as being the perfect series for fans of Octavia Butler and Sailor Moon, which being only an issue in I can’t really speak to. It also touted itself as fitting into the biopunk horror genre, which is something I was very interested in seeing (and after reading just one issue, I feel that it does in fact fit in there).
If I’m being honest here the first thing that caught my attention about this series was the colors. I’ve gotten pretty used to seeing comics with very bright and alluring comic covers, only to have the pages inside be of slightly duller shades (not a complaint per se, but more of an observation). This is not the case for Prism Stalker, the vibrancy on the cover was maintained through the entire issue, adding in more warm tones as it went on.
The story of Prism Stalker revolves around a young girl named Vep. She’s a refugee turned indentured servant for an alien race (possibly more than one – new world, new species and all). Her job is to take care of the Sverans, well specifically she and the other humans she lives with (all in a little pod-like structure, in case you were curious about their bunking habits) collect the eggs from the Queen in exchange for food and shelter and all the other bits required for life. Granted, it doesn’t guarantee a good life, but one step at a time I suppose, huh?
At first, I thought the collection of eggs was to help preserve the Sverans species, but I’ve become less and less sure of that with time. For one thing, they keep hinting and implying that the eggs are food for other creatures (commenting with surprise when one doesn’t “sip at” an egg). They also didn’t really seem to care when one ruptured, with the exception of the danger it posed to the human trying to collect it. I’m thinking my assumption that the eggs are part of the dominant race is likely incorrect, and instead, they are more similar to a cow or chicken, where their products are harvested for food? Anyway, the room with the eggs is oddly pretty, though mostly because of the color palette (I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find tentacle looking things prett).
What makes Vep stand out from the rest of the girls (and guys? Less sure on that one) is absolutely her willingness to take risks. She’s not content to sleep in her free time but instead would prefer to travel to the other pods and witness other refugee’s cultures. I honestly can’t say that I blame her. What else is one supposed to do, with no hopes for the future, but to reach out to others? Learning of their beliefs might even give her some semblance of peace (one can only hope).
One would think that doing a standout job as a refugee/indentured worked would be a good thing; the better you work the more they appreciate you, right? Well, it seems like the real world applies here too. The better/harder you work, the more likely you are to have more work dumped on you (without extra pay, mind you). Granted, I don’t actually know if the offer for Vep comes with more pay (in this case I’m assuming it would be paying off her ‘debt?’), but the general idea still applies.
This was an interesting start to a new series. I can’t say that I absolutely know what is going on, but I actually like that, in a weird way. I can tell this is going to be one of those stories that will slowly unfold itself; which is good, because other than knowing that Vep is competent and a risk-taker, I don’t really feel like I know her character at all (yet). I’d love to learn more about this world, like how Vep’s people became refugees in the first place, and for that matter are they all humans from earth, or did they come from somewhere else? How does the societal structure work for the alien race they’re working for? Is it a collection of different races, or just one that has a tendency to look different from one another? I’m looking forward to reading more about this world.
It’s probably no surprise that I was a big fan of the artwork in this issue. Besides the bright colors (which there was plenty of), there was quite a bit going on here. The artist did a fantastic job rendering creatures that look completely out of this world and unknown to humans, while still maintaining an organic look to them. I see the implied horror element easily here – seeing tentacle creatures with more than the average number of eyes? That would certainly freak me out, had I ever met one in person. The combination of everything gives the creatures an eerie feel, and even when they weren’t actively doing anything to imply a threat, I still never felt like I could trust them.
Score: 4/5
Prism Stalker #1
Image Comics