Black Science #9 Review

Will Nate and Pia get any closer to escaping their pursuers? Or will they come to a sticky fate? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Conflict is the only constant, as the Dimensionauts are embroiled in a brutal war which threatens to engulf the fantastical land they are stranded in. But how can they uncover the horrible truth about the Pillar when every second is a fight to survive?

Black Science #9 starts in a rather unique way, with Rebecca’s nightmare being both a nice way to ease new readers into this tale, whilst also showing a possible dark past in Rebecca’s life. We are then transported back to the present, with the story quickly transitioning to the trouble that Nate and Pia find themselves in. Despite all this it was the latter development that really grabbed my attention, as though it initially felt rather random and confusing, the revelation at the end made everything so clear, yet so mysterious.

Rick Remender continues to take us on an imaginative ride, with Black Science remaining near the top of my pull list. Despite this I did feel that Remender tried to do too much in this issue, as though both the opening and closing developments mesmerized me, it took away the depth that Nate and Pia’s quest deserves. Putting that to one side, this issue does do a lot for the series as far as speculation goes, with it giving some fresh questions that prove utterly intriguing.

The world that Matteo Scalera has built alongside Remender never fails to amaze, with his sketchy pencils as ever being thoroughly gripping. The layout of Scalera’s art is at it’s best, with the opening sequence giving a sense of happier times, quickly transitioning into the usual dread. Scalera’s inks and Dean White‘s colours also go to convey this, as where we’d usually get a fluid dark tone, we get something rather varied. The standout point of the artwork on this issue didn’t come till the latter half, with the Egyptian like setting, and vast scenery giving a lot of depth to this mysterious development.

Black Science #9 is another solid entry into this amazing creator owned series, with the new developments being utterly mesmerizing. The issue isn’t however without it’s faults, trying to do too much in such a short space. Nevertheless the positives well outweigh the negatives and this issue comes highly recommended.