Warning! Spoilers ahead for Rook: Exodus #1!Ghost Machine, Image Comics’ bold new imprint, has put out what could wind up being the greatest environmental story of the year. Rook: Exodus might not have the benefit of being connected to Ghost Machine’s Unnamed Universe, but it has its own intriguing and unsettling sandbox to play in.
Fans only got a glimpse at Rook: Exodus from the Ghost Machine #1 sampler earlier this year. But that preview couldn’t prepare fans for the intense and action-packed story of survival, environmentalism, class struggles and worker’s rights that Rook: Exodus manages to become in its bold and dynamic first issue.
What is Ghost Machine and Rook: Exodus?
Several years back, comic book icon Geoff Johns went to Image Comics to put out his creator-owned title, Geiger, the first comic in his new franchise, the Unnamed Universe. Johns followed Geiger up with a spin-off title, Junkyard Joe, both titles reuniting Johns with his frequent collaborator Gary Frank. About a year later, Image Comics announced that it was teaming up with Johns and several other exclusive big-name creatives to create Ghost Machine, a new, creator-owned imprint intent on “disrupting the status quo”.
To hype up Ghost Machine and its upcoming releases, the imprint released Ghost Machine #1, a super-sized sampler that gave readers sneak peeks of what it had coming down the line. The sampler previewed several lines of comics, such as The Unnamed, a connected universe bringing together Geiger and Junkyard Joe with new titles like Redcoat. Fans also got a glimpse of the Family Odysseys line and its titles Hornsby & Halo and The Rocketfellers. The only standalone title in the bunch was Rook: Exodus.
Rook: Exodus’s preview introduced fans to Exodus, a paradise planet that had been terraformed where every aspect of nature, including animals, was controlled by tech. A group of people called Wardens possessed helmets that controlled various animal species, including Rook, who commanded crows, ravens, and rooks. Unfortunately, the center of Exodus’ technology, the World Engine had failed, and the planet was rapidly falling into disrepair. Rook and his closest ally Swine scavenged for every scrap of tech they could find so Rook could build a rocket and escape Exodus.
Rook: Exodus #1 is an Action-Packed and Poignant Thrill Ride
In Rook: Exodus #1 by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh, Rook is still trying to scavenge the parts he needs to escape Exodus. Rook tries grabbing a few parts from a downed rocket before he’s attacked by a large bear. Rook uses his connection to birds to fend off the bear. But while connected he can hear the birds’ thoughts and can sense how desperate and hungry they’re growing as resources become thinner. In his downtime, Rook reflects on how Exodus’ state got so poor so quickly.
Rook eventually reunites with his fellow scavenger and Warden, Swine, who’s facing a similar problem as Rook: The tech in their helmets is failing thanks to the World Engine dying, meaning their animals are becoming much harder to control. After another fruitless attempt at convincing Swine to leave Exodus with him, Rook thinks back to his youth on Earth when ecological disasters led to the elite abandoning the planet. The flashback reveals that Rook was personally recruited to work on Exodus after his father’s farm mysteriously burned down.
Ready to leave Exodus, Rook heads out to Swine’s base to force his friend to leave the planet with him. However, Rook finds that Swine’s base is destroyed and several of his pigs have been slaughtered. Swine is on the run with his pack, pursued by an unknown enemy. Swine tries to use his hogs to fight off his enemy, but they’re being chased by bears and have no chance. Swine’s back is broken and his head is removed by a Warden that controls bears.
Rook: Exodus #1 is a Hard-Hitting, Thoughtful Story
Rook: Exodus is a heavy book that crams a lot of big themes into its first issue. The massive divide between classes, the effects of corporate greed, man’s attempt to control nature, and the rapid changes caused by ecological disasters are just some of the things Rook: Exodus #1 touches on. But the story is never overtly pointing these topics out or shoving them in readers’ faces. It’s simply taking these real-world topics and combining them to create a unique and captivating tale.
The biggest problem with Rook: Exodus’ preview story in Ghost Machine #1 was that the preview couldn’t give fans a proper idea of just how big in scale the story was. But with so many more pages than the sampler offered, this issue is the perfect length to introduce fans to this world and help them feel the gravity of how serious Rook’s situation is. Geoff Johns manages to balance a proper characterization of the story’s central character with the environmental and corporate critiques of Rook: Exodus.
From start to finish, Jason Fabok does an amazing job bringing this world to life. From the designs of the Wardens’ helmets to the ferocious looks of Exodus’ wildlife and to the plentiful action scenes, there’s a lot to keep readers engaged throughout the story. Even in the slower scenes, Fabok excellently conveys Rook’s inner thoughts and feelings through his expressions and body language. Colorist Brad Anderson takes Fabok’s work to new heights. Anderson’s colors give Exodus a grimy, hopeless look that really sells the idea of just how far this paradise planet has fallen since its glory days.
Rook: Exodus #1 Leads the Way in Ghost Machine’s First Wave
Ghost Machine is hitting the ground running with its first wave of titles, each one offering something unique. But with compelling and relevant themes and a richly detailed world, Rook: Exodus stands out among the imprint’s initial offerings. This story is fun and surprisingly thoughtful and may have readers thinking about the direction the real world is facing as the Earth faces issues with climate and greedy corporations. Image Comics and Ghost Machine have absolutely hit it out of the park with the ambitious Rook: Exodus #1.
Rook: Exodus #1 is available now from Image Comics and Ghost Machine.
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