Review by Frank Plowright
Among us walk a very small group of people able to mentally control others, organised into what are known as hives, each with a queen in absolute control. Over a deliberately elusive first chapter this is information pulled like teeth from writer A.J. Lieberman. While a hook involving some mystery to entice readers further is surely intended, you’re going to have to be unusually tolerant to work your way past the opening chapter with a desire to sample the remainder.
If you do, it’ll be to discover clarity isn’t greatly improved for a long time. Crime is involved, but a succession of encounters drop a string of names, a fair amount of chest beating, and action scenes not making a great deal of sense in isolation, but stylishly drawn by Mike Henderson. Throw in often strained bee references and it’s like being dropped into season five of a TV show where the cast, catchphrases, and situations are long established.
While most of the art is extremely cinematic, Henderson stumbles when it comes to the cast. If the plot’s not clear you’d at least want to distinguish one person from another, yet in too many places Henderson prioritises the brief of ordinary people among us over clarity.
By halfway through we’ve picked up that a guy named Mason has the abilities, yet has so far never connected with a hive, which means his control of others is untrained and extremely limited. What’s explained to him is explained to us, and it’s an almighty relief, enabling us to move forward with the necessary background knowledge.
Power by divine right is frequently cited, but it’s hardly a sympathetic personality trait, which proves a problem. A massive betrayal plays out, but because we’ve not really come to care for anyone there’s no great emotional impact when everything falls apart. A new threat is introduced right at the end, suggesting there’s more than mind control in play, but it’s only the truly dedicated who’d want to move forward to Volume Two. Unfortunately for them, there is no second volume.
