Written by Gail Simone, with interior art by José Luís and cover art by Stjepan Sejic
Thanks to Lion Forge for providing a copy for review!
Synopsis: DAY ONE: Lorena Payan was the first to realize a meteor was hurtling towards Earth two years ago. Now, she’s the first to realize the Earth is in danger once more from something equally cosmic but far more sinister. As dubbed by a mystery figure, the Obsidian Men begin appearing silently all over the globe, and our heroes Noble, Summit, and Accell join together to investigate.
Review
Writing a superhero-esque story that truly stands out is a difficult feat in 2019. While Seven Days is far more than your traditional superhero story, it delivers on those vibes. Enhanced people, wielding powers they didn’t ask for, trying to protect humanity from a largely misunderstood threat. One of the big differences here is that there seems to be little hope for the heroes to actually succeed.
In Seven Days, a team of scientists finds themselves confronted with a strange object from space, called an Obsidian Man. Identical objects appear around the globe simultaneously and seem unresponsive to stimuli. The heroes of the story have similar space junk to thank for their powers. In an effort to protect non-powered people from the potential threat, those with enhanced abilities face-off with the Obsidian Men.
The general premise of the story is fairly familiar, but there are some big ideas that set this graphic novel apart from your typical superhero story. The book opens with a question:
“Is it possible for an entire world to suffer PTSD?”
The destructive act that created enhanced humans also caused a great deal of psychic damage to all of humanity. It left a scar on everyone and led to a great deal of research on future threats. Psychologists now focus not on the response of an individual, or a small group, but on the global effects of cosmic psychosis. I am especially interested in seeing how this idea of global mental upset will affect both the enhanced and non-enhanced characters in the story.
I must also mention the stellar artwork in the book. The characters are unique and easily recognizable. I love the design of the enhanced characters. They are unique, yet immediately telegraph what each hero is capable of.
If you need a superhero story with a bit more meat, I would highly recommend adding Seven Days to your reading list. Only 7 days remain for humanity to thrive or perish!
Seven Days #1 is now available in stores.
If you’ve read Seven Days, talk to me about it on Twitter and Instagram!
(Editor’s note: Here’s an interview from San Diego Comic-Con with Gail Simone, in which she discusses the CATALYST PRIME superhero line)
