DC COMICS/VERTIGO – @DCComics and @vertigo_comics
CARTOONIST: Jeff Lemire
COLORS: Jeff Lemire and Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
COVER: Jeff Lemire
32pp, Color, $2.99 (October 2013)
Trillium is a new eight-issue comic book miniseries created, written, and drawn by cartoonist and graphic novelist, Jeff Lemire. Lemire has described Trillium as “a time-spanning science fiction love story…” (Defy 2013 Preview – DC Comics)
So I’ll tread as lightly as I can, concerning spoilers: Trillium #1 is a flip book, with Chapter 1 divided into two stories. Flip Trillium #1 to the back cover, and it has another cover and opens to the second part of the story.
“Chapter 1: 3797 – The Scientist” is set in the year 3797, when a smart virus is poised to annihilate humanity. Scientist Dr. Nika Temsmith (xeniology – a kind of archeology, maybe) knows that Trillium, a miracle flower, can possibly save mankind. However, obtaining Trillium will require negotiations with restless natives. In “Chapter 1.2: 1921 – The Soldier,” British World War I vet, William Pike goes into the jungle looking for “the Forbidden Temple of the Incas.” He finds restless natives and strange doings.
Sometimes, I am reluctant to grade or pass judgment on a first issue, but I’m not afraid in the case of Trillium. I friggin’ love this comic book, so I wonder if I’m missing something. Is Trillium #1 really as good as I think, I ask myself?
I find the structure of the story, especially the use of the “flip book” format, really forces me to engage both sides of Chapter 1. “The Scientist” is riveting, with its sense of desperation and doom, but also with a sense of wonder and exploration. I don’t want to reveal anymore than I already have, but Jeff Lemire may have just presented us with the best science fiction comic book in a long time.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux
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