Review by Ian Keogh

After Zoe Wallace gives a talk about the dangers to humanity of attempting to revive ancient viruses, she’s approached by representatives of a pharmaceutical company and offered the job of a lifetime. They want her to identify and classify a newly discovered virus. While usually distrustful of such firms, the time is right for a change, and Zoe takes the job.

Co-writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have already dropped a heavy hint as to the origin of the virus by opening Retrovirus with several pages showing a bloody battle between cavemen, ending with one of them plunging into freezing water. And of course, no matter how pleasant the company representatives seem, there’s a sinister undertone and a biochemist of Zoe’s stature isn’t going to be fooled about the truth for very long. Unfortunately, by then she’s already trapped in a secure facility in Antarctica. It’s not the only problem Gray and Palmiotti introduce in a plot that boils down to man playing god.

There’s detail and imagination to the art of Norberto Fernandez, but he’s on shakier ground with people, who are just about right, but not always. It’s very apparent during the opening scenes with the neanderthals, although overall Fernandez’s dynamism can’t be questioned.

It turns out Zoe and her colleagues have more to be concerned about than just an evil, money motivated corporation with a secret facility in Antarctica. This develops rather nicely, offering a nice rejoinder to hubris as it turns out all contingencies haven’t been taken into consideration, and Gray and Palmiotti then raise the stakes further with a clever disclosure about the effect of the virus Zoe was shown near the start.

The ending is a little too convenient and sentimental, although some aspects aren’t predictable, and Gray and Palmiotti never transcend the one note personalities needed to propel the plot. However, as a novel action thriller, Retrovirus ticks a lot of boxes and is a lot of fun.