The Saturn Effect: Alpha #1 is a comic written by Chris Moses with art by Francesco Mazzoli and colors by Marco Turambar d’Alessandro. Tensions are rising between the citizens and their overlords and things are becoming unsafe. This is a science fiction comic taking place on a space station where there are distinctions between mutants and the “pure”. The leading man for this tale is Alpha, a man who is trying to use some strange technology to find help. With him is his sister Ri, an impulsive woman who fights against injustice. We’ll also meet some other characters with some interesting personalities and views. The story begins with Alpha attempting to get this strange tech up and running when suddenly Ri is distracted by the increasing noise from outside. From here we get a look at what the status quo is on this world as well as how the different sides interact. This takes place on a large space station with a slightly dystopian feel. The action here is physical and bloody with some nasty attacks. The pacing is slightly faster than normal as the characters here don’t say too much. The tone is serious with some heavy and deep moments and the intensity ramps up once we see how things were and how they are now. The dialogue is modern with your average American talking style. No wordy pages here. This is a debut issue that sets the scene and builds anticipation by throwing us right into the action without much to go on.

            The art style here might remind you of a cleaned-up version of 90’s comics with as much or more detailing. The colors tend to lean towards brown or blue which causes the rest of the spectrum to stand out. This takes place on a large space station so the scenery is shops and buildings all tightly-packed. The atmosphere is palpably tense with metal walls separating the soldiers from the regular people. The main location is a wide, enclosed area though we do get a look at other places on the space station. The backgrounds usually have parts of the scene in them which helps you stay grounded in the story. The expression level here is average as some of these characters show emotion well while others are more stoic. The range of emotions here are mostly angry with some slight somberness. The faces are detailed enough that any look they show comes across clear. The violence here is bloody and a bit gruesome with guns and staff-like objects being used. The action scenes have good flow so you shouldn’t get lost in the moment.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like science fiction stories starring a mixed crew with violence, politics, and an air of danger then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. Violence.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“The pure will never want what they do.”

 

Digital Link: https://www.redseacomics.com/shop/p/the-saturn-effect-issue-1-digital-edition

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1967380671/the-saturn-effect-alpha/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 24

Violent Pages: 10, for 42% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 3

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 2

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 1

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”