Written by: D.J. Kirkbride
Art by: Vassilis Gogtzilas
Publisher: IDW
Bigger Bang is a collection of all four issues of a science fiction tale that revolves around a troubled protagonist called Cosmos; born out of the destruction of the entire human race and destined to live alone, bound by the destitution of his thoughts. It’s a neat idea—familiar but neat. The problem I had with the whole thing was its inability to stay focused on one point at times, leading you on ambiguous quests for clarity in a jumbled mess.
Cosmos has led his whole life with the burden of extinction—extinction of every human being in the Universe. He comes to realise that it couldn’t be averted and it wasn’t his choice, but he has to live with it nonetheless. Kirkbride does a good job in making us feel empathy towards Cosmos and by the end, I was firmly behind Cosmos’ intentions for a peaceful world—it just took a while. From the start, I felt confused at times and I wasn’t sure why. The pacing seemed relatively smooth and what was actually taking place seemed self-explanatory; however, it didn’t grab me and the notion that I already knew the characters seemed to have been forced upon me. Any backstories we got were rushed and vapid—like it shouldn’t matter that I wanted to know more about these characters I was tasked with following. The narration made me feel dumb at times; it was being too descriptive and insulting my intelligence with its assumption that I wouldn’t understand the panels and the artwork so the need to define every frame was frustrating.
As for the artwork, I really didn’t get on with it. I admire any artist that defines their own style with originality and there are many artists out there that are paving the way for others to break the shackles of conformity. Some may think Vassilis’ artwork is unique and utterly complements the writing, unfortunately I wasn’t so keen. The drawings themselves are messy and unclear. It dawned on me that the art was the main reason I was having issues trying to follow the story. At times, I just saw lines on a page and colours scattered amongst the scribbles—not art. Thulu, the villain was a green blob to me; there was no definition to him and I couldn’t appreciate him as a threat or a memorable antagonist because of his muddled nature. The other races on the various planets could have all been one and the same too—I had trouble defining which was which and by the end, I wasn’t bothered about doing so.
Overall, Bigger Bang was a comic that deserved more bang for its buck. It was packed full of clichés and atypical sci-fi dilemmas that never really hit the mark. Maybe you’ll connect with the story and the artistry but for me, I shan’t be following the further adventures of Cosmos.
