Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Cover Artists: Gary Frank (Cover A), Erik Larsen (Cover B), and Jason Fabok (Cover C)
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
What do you do when the world ends? What do you live for other than for yourself? What is there to fight for when the world has become a wasteland where humanity’s gone mad, there mutant horrors roaming about, and the world is doing everything it can to kill you? Well, for a man like Geiger, there’s still something to fight for. See what Geiger #1 has in store as it shows what one irradiated hero still fights for after the apocalypse.
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Review:
One thing this comic excels at is the art. The art from Gary Frank and the colors by Brad Anderson are just spectacular. Everything from the design of characters, locations, the expressions on their faces, and the design of Geiger himself is amazing. They make an Earth devastated by nuclear destruction look amazing. The comic’s story is another matter.
For the most part, this comic is an introduction to the world of Geiger, specifically, the titular hero. It’s mainly Geiger’s origin story giving us a glimpse of the man before the apocalypse and after it. It shows a quick shot of his previous life then it transitions to the present day to show where he is in life, his state of mind and circumstances after the world has gone downhill.
The comic focuses showing a glimpse of his life right before the end of days, and what he valued above all: his family. While it sounds a little corny, the comic banks on the emotional energy of Geiger’s actions and what he sacrificed for his family, coupled with the excellent art makes for some memorable scenes. Geiger himself is presented as an earnest, caring, and cautious man willing to do whatever he needs to protect his family. It’s quick but strong.
In the present, Geiger is more or less a solitary figure whose mysterious powers have made him comparable to an urban legend and myth among people in the wastelands. He’s more hardened and uses a grim approach to trespassers in his territory. But he still maintains a somber and sympathetic center for the most part. Geiger’s design in the apocalyptic Earth is pretty cool, and the art and colors from Gary Frank and Brad Anderson make him a sight to behold when his powers are activated.
Sadly, not much happens in the way of story, it mostly introduces readers to the new comic world, the main hero Geiger, and sets up the conflict that’s to come in the next issue. There’s a lot of sparse world-building done in this comic, making references to various extraordinary elements in the past and present with references to mutant creatures, a possible race of mutated people, and past events that will clearly come into fruition in later issues but not in this one.
As such, there’s very little story here to speak of other than introductions to the main players, including Geiger and a potential villain for the next issue. However, the comic provides little on this new villain and doesn’t set up any scale of expectations for what readers can expect to see in the rest of the comic. Thankfully, there is intriguing setup, so this reviewer is willing to stick around and see what happens next.
Final Thoughts:
Geiger #1 serves as an introduction to a new post-apocalyptic world. The comic has excellent art by Gary Frank and great colors by Brad Anderson. The story leans heavily into the nuclear Earth direction, hinting at mutants, monsters, and a glimpse of the titular nuclear hero, but there’s very little shown. There’s more setup and world-building here than there is story, but Geoff Johns keeps it well-written so it’s not bad to read through. Thankfully, it looks like things will pick up in the next issue.