Rook: Exodus Vol. 1
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Rook: Exodus Vol. 1

Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson Publisher: Image Comics Trade Paperback: April 2, 2025, $14.99 Issues: 6, Issue Reviews: 194
9.0Critic Rating
9.8User Rating

FIGHT OR FLIGHT?That's the question the man known only as Rook must answer.Centuries in the future, Earth is a dying planet, choking on pollution and poverty. The wealthy purchase passage to new worlds, while the desperate work for the company that built them-the Better-World Corporation.After a fire reduced his family farm in Illinois to ashes, Rook took a job that came with a one-way ticket to Exodus, a terraformed planet where every aspect of nature is under human control. As a Warden, Rook commands the scavenger bird population.But when Exodus's World-Engine mysteriously failed, the rich fled, abandoning their workers. In the chaos, the W more

Rating Collected Issues Reviews
9.4
Rook: Exodus #1 9
8.5
Rook: Exodus #2 7
8.8
Rook: Exodus #3 5
8.5
Rook: Exodus #4 5
9.3
Rook: Exodus #5 4
9.7
Rook: Exodus #6 3
  • 10

    Plot
    Rook is a farmer who moved to the planet Exodus in 2173, like millions who emigrated with the promise of improving their lives as planet Earth was becoming uninhabitable.

    Technology for farmers and ranchers is such that it allows them to control the wildlife needed to produce crops and livestock at maximum efficiency. This means that, depending on your field, you can control different animals with your mind.

    Rook is in charge of the corn fields, and crows are his animals to control.

    But something happened on the planet Exodus. The terraforming machine (WORLD ENGINE) is failing, and an environmental catastrophe is unfolding. The planet is becoming uninhabitable, with little water and food scarce. Meanwhile, the wildlife is undergoing mutations that make them dangerous. Those who control it now have immeasurable power.

    Rook is about to finish his ship to leave Exodus, but he has little time left, and the current situation is complex, with little food for him and his crows, not to mention the fact that he could fall prey to anyone who wants to take his ship.

    Rook seeks out his friend Swine to accompany him to escape Exodus, but Swine's helmet has stopped emitting signals. That's when a Guardian named Dire Wolf appears, explaining that Swine was murdered and his helmet stolen.

    Rook and Dire Wolf, whose name is Donnica, had a close relationship in the past; however, since they work as guardians for the corporation in different wildlife areas, they cannot have a relationship. Dire Wolf controls the wolves.

    Swine's killer, who calls himself URSAW, aims to eliminate all the guardians and take their helmets, thereby controlling all the wildlife on Exodus. He is currently attacking both of them with giant bears. URSAW wants to have all the Wardens' helmets so they can control all wildlife and the planet.

    The analogy, where those who control the helmets become cruel predators like the animals they control, is a kind of psychological synergy.
    This series is mind-blowing; it's a mix of John Carter from Mars and Jurassic Park, with epic and biblical scales.

    The narrative in this comic is addictive and leaves you wanting more.

    This Deluxe version includes all the alternate covers for each of the seven installments, as well as sketches and early character designs with descriptions of the creative process. It also includes an interview that Ben Morse did to the artist Jason Fabok.

    Art
    Jason Fabok offers his highly detailed art where everything makes sense, recreating new worlds with futuristic technology and making them believable. Each page is mesmerizing and chilling, playing with the scale of this entire world with a cinematic vision. It's a must-read masterpiece.

  • 9.5
    Howard Apr 9, 2025

    This trade was worth the Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok are at their best and I would highly recommend these first six issues of what I hope to be a long run into the future.

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