StarCraft: Survivors #1
Michael Atiyeh (Colours), Steve Dutro (Letters), Jody Houser (Writer), Gabriel Guzman (Artist)
Dark Horse Comics
24 July, 2019
Following the loss of his crew, Caleb, a Terran engineer and scavenger, finds himself working at an ammunition’s factory in the Umojan Protectorate. There he befriends a young family, but tries to keep to himself as much as possible. All seems to be going well in his life, until one of his co-workers turns up dead.
I have unfortunately never played StarCraft nor have I come across the comic book tie-ins. But StarCraft: Survivors #1 sounded like an absorbing sci-fi series in the vein of Battlestar Galactica, so I happily volunteered to review it. I’m glad I did, because this book turned out to be pretty intense and suspenseful.
Despite not knowing anything about the world, StarCraft: Survivors #1 was fairly simple to follow. I may not know a Zerg from a Protoss, but one can clearly tell who the good guys are meant to be and who are the bad. The majority of the story takes place in the Umojan Protectorate factory, which is exclusively peopled by Terrans. This was a good story decision by writer Jody Houser, as it put readers like me who aren’t familiar with the universe at ease with the characters and surroundings. As much as I love a good sci-fi with plenty of worldbuilding, it often ends up being confusing and alienating for new readers. This issue does precisely the opposite—it put me in my comfort zone while still delivering a solid story.
With regard to protagonist Caleb, I feel my lack of knowledge about the franchise added to my enjoyment of reading this book. I’m seeing him the way his companions and colleagues are, which makes his actions in the story all the more surprising. Of course, StarCraft: Survivors being a direct sequel to StarCraft: Scavengers means we get an inkling of what to expect with Caleb. But that brief glimpse only made me hope for better for him, which made the climax of this issue that much more shocking.
I do wish our protagonist wasn’t yet another blonde white man, who looks eerily similar to Luke Skywalker. (Or is it just me?) Genre fiction is over-saturated with white men in leading roles, and I would have loved for someone else to enjoy the limelight. Having said that, there’s something political about a white man pretending to be one of the people, while doing everything in his power to betray his friends and colleagues. Whether that is the creative team’s intention, I can’t yet say, but it’s the feeling I got while reading this book. Or perhaps I’m looking for subversion where there isn’t any, and the rest of this series will turn into generic sci-fi fare. I certainly hope not.
Caleb’s companion at the factory is Frank, an African-American character. The “black best friend” trope is annoying, but Frank is the kind of character you instantly root for, not just because of his precocious daughter, Dahlia, but because he could be any of us. I do hope that his ordinariness doesn’t translate into naivete in the upcoming issues—thus far, he doesn’t suspect Caleb of any wrong-doing, but he should figure out that something isn’t quite right with his new friend soon enough.
I have to assume that the fact the story is set in an ammunition’s factory is a definite political move. We follow ordinary people who are trying to get by. They’re happy to have work, even if it means arming other people. Could this be a statement against the lack of gun control in certain countries? We will have to read succeeding issues to find out.
I love the art in StarCraft: Survivors #1. Despite the heavy lines, which I’m generally not a fan of, Gabriel Guzman creates a wealth of detail on every page. The characters have realistic expressions, and every part of them, down to the curls in their hair, seems to have been lovingly rendered. Sci-fi stories need strong art to capture the extraordinary worlds they exist in, and Guzman more than delivers with the art here.
Michael Atiyeh’s colors are simply splendid, and I adore his shadow work. There’s a sequence that takes place at night where Atiyeh adopts a purplish hue to convey the darkness—it’s not exactly the traditional way to go about such a setting, but Atiyeh makes it work. You immediately know it’s nighttime, even without obvious visual cues like a moon.
StarCraft: Survivors #1 sets the foundation for a fascinating and chilling story. Caleb the anti-hero (or is he a villain?) makes for an intriguing entry into a world that is rich without being overwhelming. There is plenty of suspense from beginning to end, which makes me want to read more about the universe, Caleb, and the beings he is working for. The strong story, coupled with gorgeous art and colours, has me excited for more. This may not be a world I want to live in, but I definitely want to learn all about it.
