Ether #1 –
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Matt Kindt
Art & Letters by David Rubin
Some things just don’t mix. Like oil and water, they just don’t want to be together, yet we still combine them from time to time. So what happens when the worlds of science and fantasy collide? Even in the face of something you can’t explain, could there be a rational explanation? So this week I decided to enter the mind of Matt Kindt, and his new series Ether, from Dark Horse Comics.
Boone Dias is a scientist, and believes that everything can be explained. He is driven by facts and knowledge, but that journey sends him to the Ether. It’s a world filled with magic and fantasy, yet in Boone’s mind, he is set on explaining that which seemingly cannot be explained. We find out in the story that this is not Boone’s first trip into the Ether, and he is pretty familiar with the capital city in particular. That is where this story takes place, and where he finds out that his research will be put on hold. Something has happened in this world that could change it’s very existence, and Boone’s scientific mind is in need. As the investigation goes on, at one point this book takes a turn that definitely adds to the intrigue of Boone’s character. By the end, just when you feel like you have a handle on what is going on, you’re left wondering by the last page if there is more to this story than you currently realize.
We have seen stories where fantasy meets reality, but I like the spin that Kindt puts on that genre. He takes skepticism and blends it with an almost blissful ignorance in his main character that he can explain anything. The world he presents to us is full of charm and likeable characters, but we just don’t know a whole lot about them yet. The good news is, you get just enough to actually WANT to know about these characters. When you look at the art, and even the credits page at the beginning, it feels like Rubin wants to leave you a bit unbalanced as you go through the panels to add to the mysticism of the Ether itself. Then, in the last few pages, things seem to just straighten out and normalize. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but if I’m not, mission accomplished. There is a lot to like here and, as someone who also has a scientific mind, I was really invested on how someone similar would react to an interdimensional world. I hope we continue to get more backstory with each issue, and if we do, I’m in for the long haul.
RATING: PULL / BUY