Last March saw the release of Bruce Zick’s full colour reimagining on his 1992 four issue series The Zone Continuum. A moody sci-fi drama set in a future looking at the issues of social isolation and global pollution; it is a compelling story that still has relevance today. Now Dark Horse have presented the opportunity to revisit Zick’s original black and white story as it was originally published by Caliber Comics in 1992.

Far above the streets of New York City, higher than the grinning gargoyles and gargantuan megawatt billboards, the heroic Talon is locked in immortal conflict with the nefarious Spere for control of their entire world! This is Zone 27… and it’s shrinking.

In his introduction to this collection that reflects on his work on the series from 1992 up to 2016, Zick says he can’t decide which version of The Zone Continuum he prefers, having facets he enjoys in both of them. It is very much down to personal preference regarding which iteration is superior. Obviously, there will be some déjà vu if you’ve read the 2016 version. But the story is still an exciting read with Talon being a particularly compelling character that treats every day like it could be his last and has is haunted by his missing love interest.

From an art standpoint, whilst the colouring in the 2016 version was tremendous, there’s no doubt that Zick’s shadowy artwork and intricate cityscapes look fantastic in black and white and also add to dark noir tone that is being established. As previously described in our post on the 2016 version, Zick’s work as a background artist is clearly used to great strength with the main things that often draws your gaze when looking at the panels being the stunning city backdrops (the splash page in the story’s opening where Talon dives into the city is particularly great from regarding both design and use of perspective) and complex machinery. This extends to his human depictions also with some great character designs and action sequences. All of Zick’s characters fit perfectly into the setting he has created with Talon looking particularly cool with his trench coat and goggles giving quite a pulp/steampunk vibe with some 90s sensibilities thrown in on the more techy parts of his gear.

Readers of the 2016 version should definitely give The Zone Continuum: Legacy a look to see the genesis of Zick’s ideas and those looking for a great sci-fi adventure with some great dark comic art will feel right at home.

The Zone Continuum: Legacy is out now from Dark Horse

9781506700762 – P/B £12.50

Find more Bruce Zick titles here

Post by Leo