DOWNLOAD #1 – Review

DOWNLOAD #1, from Red 5 Comics on December 15th, 2021, introduces readers to Eric, an aspiring comicbook artist who’s struck by a strange light that imbues him with the knowledge of strange machines and an overwhelming compulsion to build them.

The Details

• Written By: Scott Chitwood
• Art By: Danny Luckert
• Colors By: P.H. Gomes
• Letters By: Troy Peteri, Dave Lanphear
• Cover Art By: Danny Luckert
• Cover Price: $3.95
• Release Date: December 15, 2021

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Was It Good?

DOWNLOAD #1 looks, reads, and sounds a lot like the Joe Dante film Explorers (1985) with a mild sprinkle of E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982) That’s not a bad thing if you’re up for an updated take on kids who’ve been granted designs from beyond and an unquenchable desire to find out what those designs do.

Read through to the next sections if you want more specifics on the plot.

The reason why the films worked so well is that they have common factors everyone can relate to. You get a cast of middle-schoolers who don’t fit into the outgoing, popular kid mold. You have a mysterious, science fiction event that affects one or all of them. The students act through the natural curiosity and eagerness for discovery while trying to hide what’s going from those pesky adults. And as with E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982), the students have good reason to keep what’s going on away from a certain group of adults who don’t have their best interests at heart.

All the same elements are in play, and Chitwood pulls the pieces together organically and smoothly.

The art from Luckert and the team is very good in this issue. There’s a moment when Eric, the main character, gets zapped and it didn’t hit hard enough to make that scene impactful. Otherwise, the lines are crisp and clear, the colors feel natural, especially when the electricity starts and the visuals are solid overall.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a pair of men entering a recently-uncovered cave in France. Inside, they find the remains of an ancient man who appears to have killed himself. On the walls are scrawled cave paintings that morph into what looks like advanced computer circuitry. One of the men, Mr. Serizawa, has been researching similar finds all over the world, and he makes statements implying he means to keep the discoveries to himself.

Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, we’re introduced to Eric, Taylor, and their female friend (we could find no reference that she’s named in the issue) spend an evening working on their own creator-owned comic. Eric lives with his grandmother while his mother is away on military duty, so the gang has the run of the house and the garage without constant parental oversight. When it’s time to break up for the evening and the kids head outside from the garage, Eric sees a strange light in the sky that suddenly strikes him down.

The next day, Eric recovers in the hospital, and the doctors are unsure what happened to him as his physical symptoms are completely normal. Soon, Eric starts doodling while he waits out his observation time and he feels compelled to start drawing circuitry and machinery of unknown function. When Eric is released and returns to his grandmother’s house, he starts feeling an irresistible pull to use whatever spare machinery is in the garage to build the visions overwhelming him.

We conclude the issue with a button and the incredible spectacle that happens after it’s pushed.

Final Thoughts

DOWNLOAD #1 takes the familiar trope of middle-schoolers gifted knowledge of something mysterious and crafts a fresh science fiction story. The mystery is played up well, the science fiction is plausible yet fantastical, and the hint of a shadow organization adds dramatic tension to whatever comes next.

Score: 8.5/10

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