In the distant future, as mankind discovers life on other planets, it needs soldiers to defend its colonies and outposts across the stars. In order to increase the number of boots on the ground, criminals are offered the opportunity to serve in the place of incarceration. But as wars wage on and more soldiers are needed, small-time crimes are given long-term punishments. When a group of prisoners serving their time as soldiers become stranded and abandoned on a war-torn planet, they'll need to work together to survive and uncover the truth behind Earth's role in deep space.
Cluster #1 is a very well composed jumping off point for what looks to be a great comic Read Full Review
This was a fantastic first issue that read smoothly. It can be hard to ride that line of putting way too much information into a debut issue. However, Cluster was able to do it in a practical way that didn't feel like a chore, but just a well crafted issue. Cluster does have some familiar elements, but the way they are presented feels fresh. Cluster is a series that has an amazing creative team of artists that have been around andare finally flourishing and you see it reflected on the pages of Cluster‘s debut. Cluster is a series that sci-fi fans need to be following. Read Full Review
In an interesting note for this review, I hadn't heard much about this comicuntil fellow RWG writer Nikki pointed Cluster out to me. She said Cluster would be up my alley and she certainly was right. This is brilliant in everything that I dig about comic books. If she wouldn't have brought it to my attention there's a chance I would have missed this and that would have been a shame. Cluster is amazing and I highly recommend not missing this book. Do not let this shuffle under the radar like it did for me, grab Cluster #1 and embrace the awesomeness that lies within. Read Full Review
This is a real treat of an issue that very quickly gets the reader interested in the premise and involved with the characters. It sets up what will assuredly be a very entertaining action comic. Read Full Review
Couceiros style hits all my sci-fi buttons. Figures and environments are clean, the action is clear. The world of Midlothian and Tranent penitentiary feels taken out of a Robert Heinlein story, Starship Troopers without the Satire. Even so, the creators have a lot to say about crime and punishment and in doing so produce something wholly their own. Cluster #1 is sharp and engaging. It's a must read for sci-fi fans. Read Full Review
Cluster #1 gets thejob done. Brisson brings readers into the world in an elegant manner. We get some rich, interesting characters, and by the end we're left with the beginning of a journey. Ajourney laced with urgency and desperation. Read Full Review
With so many high-profile releases coming out this week, a little book like Cluster can easily slip under the radar. Which is a shame, because Cluster is a gem. It's difficult for a comic to live up to the sheer coolness of its James Stokoe cover, and yet, that's exactly what the book does. Read Full Review
I'm all for a nice, discreet endpoint in a series, but I actually finished this and hoped it could be continued. Without spoiling or giving away the ending, it works as a finale, but one that could easily stretch into one or even two different storylines. Brisson created a large enough universe that it almost deserves to be fleshed out in another installment. Or maybe that just means I really liked this. Read Full Review
Cluster, combines the gore of Starship Troopers and the suspense of Aliens Read Full Review
Cluster #1 delivered in a huge way this week and will not leave readers disappointed. As I mentioned earlier, it makes good on its promise of action and ends with a nice little cliffhanger that will draw back readers next month. BOOM! Studios continues to not only draw, but deliver amazing creator-owned projects month after month. Add this to your pull list immediately! Read Full Review
Inherently that is where this series excels. While it does aim for a share of action, it is not meant to be exploitative, but rather show strong female characters while also digging a bit deeper to look at the reach of the police state in Western countries, and what that might look like in the future. It is a compelling first look at this series, and it promises a lot for what is to come, regardless of its competition. Read Full Review
Cluster #1 is an excellent first issue in a series with great promise. Read Full Review
Cluster is hearty, straightforward, hard-boiled sci-fi. Its space marines vs. aliens all the way. And even if there is some intrigue, as the previews have suggested, all in all Ive got this series pegged as a pretty easy breezy affair. Im not complaining or calling it uninspired though, I need a good mix of this and that to balance my stack. For every Intersect, a Cluster makes a great palate cleanser. And with its solid writing, engaging landscapes, and 2.5 dimensional characters, Cluster may be just the this to go with my that. It isnt going to blow minds or make you rethink the space opera, but its sincere and fun. If you are into this genre, theres no reason you wont like Cluster. Read Full Review
Cluster shows a lot of promise: it's an unapologetically, but casually female-led (even dominated) book that marries familiar premises of lethal prisoner restraint and conflict-riddled aggressive personalities to the notion of military service that teeters between forced and chosen. It promises exploration of Samara's character openly, and hints gently at seeing more of the people around her and why they made the choice to serve their sentence in combat rather than simple time. The art avoids stylistic excess or sheer banality to keep the words from utter domination without overpowering them, as befits the story-oriented nature of its central conceits. This looks like one to hop on now, if not at least keep an eye on. Read Full Review
The end of this issue finds some of the prisoners in a no-win position that creates an immediate sense of excitement for the reader. How are they possibly going to get out of this mess alive? This rag tag group has to work together if they hope to survive against all of the odds that are stacked against them. I have no idea where it'll go next, but I can't wait to see what Brisson and Couceiro have in store with this series. Cluster is a perfect example of space prison sci-fi done right. Read Full Review
An enthralling science fiction story with a cast of characters that you will be happy to invite into your lives (and villains that are creepy and you'll want to fight). Read Full Review
Ironically, in a series that will inevitably be about learning to function as a unit, what really makes Cluster work is that the book feels like a team effort. Brisson, Couciero, and Garland work well together, and that is what makes the book so damn readable. While not exactly groundbreaking all the time, it's a well done comic in which each moving part supports the whole, making future issues worth taking a look at. Read Full Review
This was a very good read, reminded me a bit though of All You Need Is Kill, without the whole repetitive days. I'm interested to see how this story will pan out with the next issue, but it is well worth picking up #1. Read Full Review
Cluster #1 did a good job of setting up a plot that has plenty of unanswered questions. Samara's back story will more than likely be filled in slowly but surely as well the origins of the other characters. Whether this books will be action packed or story driven is still up in the air. I will be checking out the next few issues to see where Cluster goes. Read Full Review
Cluster #1 introduces a prison planet where Samara Simmons is going to spend 15 years as a soldier. It's a lot of old school action with some cool art on top. Read Full Review
Kudos to Brisson for writing yet another great female lead (hell, he writes a solid Gemma in the SOA comic) in Samara, who is as complex as they come. It should be interesting to see which route she takes among all the madness.Cluster #1also left me with as many political questions, too, especially with the cliffhanger ending And no, Sylvester Stallone doesnt show up. This sci-fi venture is sure to be out of this world fun and a little bit trouble-making. Read Full Review
Cluster #1 is the start of a very interesting and entertaining story, what with the aliens and such. The story will draw you in and the artwork will enthrall you. The issues to come hold answers to so many questions proposed in this first one, and surely more alien battles! Read Full Review
Cluster #1 might be lacking in any real "wow" moments, but it is a well-told debut that provides a solid foundation moving forward. Read Full Review
Brisson adds another successful launch to his diverse resume with "Cluster" #1, incorporating some well-used building blocks to establish a character-driven science fiction story that makes for an entertaining and engaging beginning. Read Full Review
Ultimately, while I did find ‘Cluster' enjoyable enough, I felt that there just wasn't enough that was tangibly different in the storyline to tempt me back. If I pick up the second issue it'll be largely for Courceiro's execution of the alien landscape and not for the characters. This first issue felt as though it was trying to cram whole worlds into twenty-something pages, when really it should have been focusing on the one woman that the reader is supposed to care about. Read Full Review
The final pages of this issue set the tone for whats to come, and given theintriguingcast of characters that have been assembled, it should make for some interesting reading. Perhaps more than anything else though, it is Brissons impressive work on pre-apocalyptic series Sheltered that gives me high hopes for the future of this series. With a proven track record of taking familiar ideas in new and unexpected directions, I have no doubt that things are going to improve in the issues to come, and with a strong foundation being laid in this issue, Im definitely on board with this series – for the time being, at least. Read Full Review
The BOOM! Studios is a publisher that really cares about quality, that's for sure, and although "Cluster" #1 isn't exactly the most original comic out there, it still has some strong pros, like the essential art and an interesting development. Maybe it won't be an amazing series after all, but by now it may have what it takes.
Cool art. Story is happening a bit fast though. What's the rush? Reminds me of Starship Troopers somewhat. I will be checking out issue 2.
The start of what could be a really fun sci-fi series.
Not terrible, just unoriginal and not intriguing enough to warrant a purchase of number two. A similar premise was done very well by Ken Garing in Planetoid, and Bitch Planet by KSD is currently knocking it out of the park.
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