Black Comics
REVIEW: RET:CON #1
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13
Creators: Jason Reeves and John-Reuben Milton
Writer: Robert Jeffrey II
Line Art: Jordi Perez
Colors: Paris Alleyne
Publisher: 133 Art
Time travel has been a fascination with many people for as long as people have had the ability to think. We all have moments in history that we would like to be able to see. In Doctor Who we learn about fixed points in time that can not be altered without catastrophic effects to the time/space continuum.
“Ret:Con” #1 takes us on a journey where time travel is utilized for military applications. In this title time travel is referred to as “slingshotting”. We see a time agent killing Hitler in his bunker, thus rapidly speeding up the end of WWII. After completing the mission the agent is slingshot back to the year 2145.
We then learn how slingshotting came to be. China had the technology and went back in time to develop more natural resources. While they were at it they took some liberties from a militaristic point of view. The rest of the world allied to put a stop to it. They were successful, sort of.
Pandora’s box had been opened. India stole the research and began developing it. The United States invaded to put a stop to it.The rest of the world cited this as a good excuse to end the alliance. Soon multiple countries ran similar missions to improve their standing in the world. Other countries were waging war throughout the timeline.
This happened repeatedly until the continued slingshotting began causing “time quakes”. Entire cities were sinking into the ground from the ruptures. Ret:Con is an agency that is trying to set things right. And they’ve barely scratched the surface of repairing the wasteland that is now Earth.
Artwork: .75 Stars
The cover is very intriguing. Just from that you can see we’re going to be talking about time travel. The interior artwork is very well done. I liked the amount of detail on the tank in India.
Story: .75 Stars
Between the mission in WWII and returning to the future it’s almost like we get two stories in one. I think this story has a thrilling concept. It’s original and a great example of what can happen when humans try to play God. I would like to see some more character development. Being able to relate to the characters doesn’t affect the story though.
Dialogue: 1 Star
The dialogue in the latter half of the book is more of a narrative than a conversation. It still contains a treasure trove of information. This is how we get the history of what I’m calling the Time Wars.
Editing: .5 Stars
The German in me loved seeing the language in print. It helped set the mood for while we were in the bunker. The letters themselves are spot on in “Ret:Con” #1. Unfortunately the shade of blue used during the explanation of the Time Wars was very difficult to read against the background. I love using different colors or balloons and text to make it more obvious who is speaking. This color choice didn’t work out as well as it was intended though.
Mechanics: .75 Stars
This book has it all. Science fiction, historical fiction, and lots of action. I found it very easy to fall into. It reads at a very fast pace. I was disappointed when I realized I had already reached the final page. When I learn how to get my hands on the second installment of “Ret:Con” I will be all over it.
