REVIEW: ‘Eve: Children of the Moon,’ Issue #1

Eve: Children of the Moon #1 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Victor Lavalle, art by Jo Mi-Gyeong, colors by Brittany Peer, and letters by Andworld Design. After successfully saving the world, Eve has settled into a peaceful life with her sister and their android bear, Wexler. But when they realize an outpost hasn’t responded to their calls letting them know the air is safe again, the trio head out to investigate what may be wrong.

This story opens with a party in celebration of Eve’s successful efforts to save the planet. This happy moment eases readers back into the world with a warm touch as things seem to be going well since we last saw these characters. Reestablishing the characters for readers in this way allows them to see a bright moment in their lives. This will undoubtedly come to contrast with the looming crisis that the series will deliver. But while a party complete with a delicious-looking “cake” is hard to walk away from, Eve: Children of the Moon #1 has more for its stars to do than just celebrate.

During some routine check-ins with other human settlements, the sisters realize they haven’t heard back from one particular settlement in Wisconsin. Concerned that they may not have received the news that the air is safe again, the sisters and Wexler head out to see what is going on. During their preparations to head to the off-the-grid settlement, Eve: Children of the Moon #1 starts setting up an interesting subplot concerning Eve’s sister. This side story has me genuinely curious about where Lavalle intends to take the characters with this secondary narrative.

With the team’s arrival at the lost settlement, the book reveals its primary conflict, as the settlers have some strong feelings about Eve and her sister. Looking to right what they perceive as wrongs, the settlers lay down an ultimatum for their would-be saviors, with grim ramifications if they refuse to comply. This confrontation lays some solid groundwork for the conflict to come. The best part about how Lavalle sets up this scenario is that the antagonists, at least from their point of view, bear feelings and grudges that are more than reasonable. This gives them less of a maniacal villain feeling, allowing for potential shades of gray to develop as the story moves forward.

Eve: Children of the Moon #1 ‘s art delivers all the story’s moments in a clear manner that allows the narrative to flow well. I particularly appreciate Peer’s job with the colors. The story moving from the vibrant greens of the opening scene to panels dominated by grays accents the shifting tone of the book perfectly. Wrapping up our look at the book is the lettering. The dialogue placement is always handled well, permitting the story to be easy to follow while not intruding upon the art.

When you bring it all together, Eve: Children of the Moon #1 gets its narrative off to a solid start. It lays some good groundwork for both its story as well as potential personal plots that can hopefully be brought to fruition in the issues to come.

Eve: Children of the Moon #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.