Oblivion Song Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman, Annalise Leoni, and Lorenzo De Felici

It’s been ten years since the event enveloped a large swath a Philadelphia killing hundreds of thousands of people. It left a wasteland that has since been cordoned off and memorialized for the lives lost. Scientists worked to develop technology to cross over into Oblivion, and spent several years saving the displaced from the beasts that roam the alternate city. But, the government is now reluctant to allocate resources to the mission, thinking that they have exhausted the effort and there are no more people left to bring back. Led by Nathan Cole, a small group means to continue the undertaking by risking their lives every day by entering Oblivion.

I’m going to start by saying that I feel like I’ve read this story before… or something very close to it. Yet, this world and these characters are so well fleshed out that it seems new and original. When the displaced return they go through a reorientation back to the life they knew, but it isn’t really what they knew because many have moved on without them. Kirkman takes the time to show the characters outside of the “action” and living their lives. From the memorial the characters visit to the boyfriend who’s been let go after a husband returns… and the endless trauma of the victims who can’t get the horrors out of their heads.

I wasn’t terribly impressed with the artwork. It wasn’t too detailed when it came to alt-Philadelphia, and I found some inconsistency with the design of the faces.

Overall, Oblivion Song is a bit of a mixed bag. One in which a reader can find some good characterization, yet maybe not fall in love with some of the other parts.