Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1

Paul Pope (variant cover)

Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1

Writer: Paul Tobin
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Cover Artists: David Palumbo (regular cover), Paul Pope (variant cover)

When Dr. Elizabeth Shaw uncovered a star map to the distant moon of LV-223, she took it as a sign from God—an invitation from our creators, proof that mankind is not alone in the universe…

When Shaw and the crew of the Prometheus finally reached LV-223, they learned the terrifying truth: indeed, we are not alone, and our creators’ plans for us are not those of a loving god.

After a harrowing ordeal during which the rest of the crew of the Prometheus met their fate, Shaw and the damaged android David left LV-223 in search of further answers—never knowing that the carnage left behind them would give rise to a horrific new life that could lead to the end of all.

Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1 is a pretty interesting start to a Prometheus comic tie-in. Set well after the events of the movie, a team heads to the moon called LV-223 in hopes of high value salvage from the crashed research vessel there. But it’s not quite as simple as that because the captain of the mission has an ulterior motive. She knows part of the truth of what happened and she wants to complete Weyland’s mission to find the creators of humankind. Yet like Weyland, they’re about to find more than what they bargained for.

The artwork for the issue is very different and non-traditional. It doesn’t look anything like your standard superhero comic. The lines, shading and coloring have a soft, fuzzy look. The depiction of the characters leans more toward stylized than realism. I’ve seen this style before in other comics, and while it’s not a style I’m a big fan of, it doesn’t completely ruin the comic. Thankfully the dialog and narration is enough to pull you into story if the artwork doesn’t work for you.

One thing I like about the story is that it ties-in to the film. That gives it a huge head start as readers have an entire film they can draw upon to fill in gaps and expand the context of what’s going on. However, the issue does a nice job of setting up it’s own story. With a fairly large cast of characters and three different ships, it throws a lot out there for readers to dig into to. There’s a character named Clara Atkinson who is introduced via a documentary she’s filming on the ship. She goes around and introduces some of the characters. Of those, the stand outs are Captain Angela Foster, astrobiologist Francis Lane, and Chief Security Officer Galgo Helder.

Galgo is a pretty much just a talkative grunt, a storyteller and a guy with a gun. So far, he’s not too interesting, but that may change once we see him in action. Foster and Lane, though, are another story, as both have secrets. Captain Foster’s secret is that she has the entire crew believing this is just a salvage op when really she’s out to find what Weyland was after. Lane, on the other hand, has some sort of medical issue that he’s not telling anyone about aside from the android (or construct as they’re calling them) that’s part of the crew. Lane seems intent on wanting to use the alien lifeforms they find to cure him, and that’s is definitely going to lead to trouble.

The issue ends with the crew exploring the moon, a weird jungle, and discovering a wrecked ship. But it’s not the Prometheus. It’s also harboring some very vicious looking lifeforms. As the first issue in this new launch, Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1 does a good job of laying out an intriguing story. There are plenty of hooks to get readers interested in the series. What is Lane hiding? What does Foster really hope to find? Who are these other members of the crew? What’s the story behind the Hadley’s Hope and the moon LV-426? And most immediately, what’s going to happen when they open that ship?

While the interior art isn’t anything to get too excited about, Prometheus: Fire and Stone #1 has a nice, engrossing story to make up for it. The setup is one that can definitely good readers hooked for more. For fans of the franchise, it’s worth checking out. While we haven’t gotten any answers to the film yet, it’s certainly expanding the mythos. I give it a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.