Oblivion Song #1 Review

Philly: The city of brotherly oblivion

Written by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Lorenzo de Felici and Annalisa Leoni
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy


Now having never been to Philadelphia, I have to rely on my good friends Jim and Eric to paint a mental picture of the beauty of the city. I am aware that it is the home to the now Super Bowl winning Eagles, Philly soul music and that it is known as the city of brotherly love. I think I remember something or other being mentioned in that Superman roadtrip duology, but can't be certain. I am sure that there are bound to be other things that I should know as well those three facts, but now I also know that it is the setting of Image's latest comic release Oblivion Song.

Yes folks, a decade ago, 300,000 citizens of Philadelphia were suddenly lost in Oblivion. The government made every attempt to recover them, but after many years, they gave up. Nathan Cole, this book's hero won't. His drive is augmented by the fact that he has lost his brother Ed in the catastrophe. Now he works with a band of two others to try and persuade the US Government to restore their funding levels to try and continue the aid operation.

In the meantime, the Government and the rest of the US seem to have given up hope or taking things a step further some religious fundamentalists seem to favor resigning those caught in the catastrophe to their fate. They see the events of ten years ago as the results of divine punishment and are opposed to any future mercy mission to help rescue the remaining survivors. Meanwhile, we get the interesting admission in this issue that Nathan is attracted by the strange noises in the danger zone, known as Oblivion's song.

Bits and Pieces

This story starts strong and we know that at the time of writing there are 13 issues of this book already in the pipeline and that this is a vast storytelling exercise that we are only just dipping into. I wasn't sure about the art at the start of this book, but once I got used to it, it worked perfectly. This book is an intriguing one and I think it will develop into a pretty gripping tale.

8/10