ROOK: EXODUS #8 – New Comic Review

Rook: Exodus #8, by Image Comics on 11/5/25, barrels into the investment zone with an avalanche of mutated spiders and existential dread. Are you getting a premium comic or just funding your therapist’s next session? Tighten your belt: this one wants your time and your cash, and it’s not shy about making both sweat for it.

Credits:

• Writer: Geoff Johns
• Artist: Jason Fabok
• Colorist: Brad Anderson
• Letterer: Rob Leigh
• Cover Artist: Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson (cover A)
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: November 5, 2025
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Page Count: 36
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of ROOK: EXODUS #8:

First Impressions:

Opening pages hit you in the face with cold desperation. Literally, the characters are scaling icy peaks while the planet’s heart thuds its last. The concept of struggling survivors orchestrating animal armies is ambitious, but the dialogue signals a heavy, world-weary mood that runs thick right from the jump. This isn’t a comic trying to sneak fun past you; it wants you to feel the weight at every turn.

Recap:

Last issue found Rook climbing a frozen mountain to recruit the goat warden Matterhorn for a final push to save the planet Exodus. Mistrust and loss haunted the cast: Swine’s death weighed on everyone, and Carapace stayed skeptical. Rook and Dire Wolf needed Matterhorn’s help linking to the Wildlife Grid, while Pumba, the boar, supplied stubborn backup. Dire Wolf hunted for Bloodhound, his feral, unpredictable father—Exodus’s only hope to fix the world—while the script marinated in emotional reset and coalition-building without serving much breakthrough, all prepping the stage for this issue’s cold crawl.

Plot Analysis:

Exodus is dying. Vast forests shrivel, rivers vanish, and cities echo as empty shells. Rook, Dire Wolf, and Matterhorn urgently descend into the planet’s tunnels, hunting for Bloodhound, the only warden left who can restore the failing World Engine. This underground quest launches amid biting storms, forced climbs, and animal coordination: Poe the crow leads the birds, Pumba drags his hooves, and wolves and goats shuffle reluctantly toward sanctuary. The squad’s unease grows with each step, especially as Dire Wolf remains haunted by the memories of her now dangerous father.​

Penetrating deeper, the power cuts out, thanks to thousands of dormant solar batteries that Better-World, the shadowy corporation, likely sabotaged Exodus after abandoning it. Navigation becomes a nightmare, relying on intuition and animal help, and the environment twists into a labyrinth of spiderwebs; real ones, thick and menacing. Tension ramps up when the team encounters a surge of mutated spiders, swarming with deadly intent. Rook’s leadership and the group’s unity are tested as panic strikes.

The climax erupts in chaos. Dire Wolf frantically searches for her father, and the crew stumbles into confrontations with both monstrous wildlife and the mysterious Stag, another warden with opaque motives. Emotional flashpoints flare as old trauma and loyalty clash among the survivors. Everything teeters on disaster’s edge as survival becomes uncertain. The issue jams in world-building flashbacks and desperate tactical gambits, broadcasting loud stakes with a bleak punch, all while teasing bigger conflicts for the next chapter.

Story

Dialogue is weighty and deliberate. No quippy banter here, just thick slabs of existential debate about sacrifice, loss, and distrust. The pacing is determined, rarely rushing but sometimes getting mired in internal monologue that borders on repetition. Story beats grind along with steady escalation, never losing sight of the colony’s fragile hope but missing some finesse in delivering twists: emotional stakes overtake actual surprises.

Art

Lines are razor-sharp, with Jason Fabok’s crisp figures casting stark shadows against toxic snowfall and labyrinthine tunnels. Composition excels in clarity. Every panel clearly guides the eye from danger zones to weary faces. Brad Anderson’s palette is relentlessly cool: icy blues and sickly whites hammer home the setting’s lifeless chill, amplifying mood but sometimes flattening dynamic tension. Mutated spiders get their due in monstrous detail, but the overall tone can feel visually monochromatic.

Characters

Motivations are hammered out: Rook’s commitment to salvaging Exodus and Dire Wolf’s hunt for his dad are believable and sustained throughout. Even sidekicks like Poe and Pumba reflect real anxieties and emotional wounds, never straying off course, but the cast’s interactions can grow repetitive as everyone rehashes old scars instead of evolving distinctly amidst the chaos.

Originality & Concept Execution

A terraformed planet unraveled by tech-meddling humans and their animal armies is a fresh pitch, especially with the Wildlife Grid helmet gimmick. Execution mostly sells the high concept, but when the emotional drama dominates, suspense gives way to existential exhaustion. The big ideas carry through, even if the deliverables sometimes get tangled in exposition over action.

Positives

Sharp panel design and undeniable world-building drive Rook: Exodus #8’s best moments, especially when the animal armies respond to their wardens, and hostile tunnels come alive with natural and technological dread. The comic wrings real tension from its central quest, leveraging crisp visuals and a dense atmosphere that makes you feel the chill with every flip of the page, and the struggle for survival never lets up.

Negatives

Dialogue sinks in thick existential soup, sometimes stalling forward motion, and character revelations repeat past traumas for dramatic effect without always earning new emotional ground. Ultra-cool color tones, while moody, risk draining energy from pivotal action beats, and exposition can crowd out suspense as the cast reiterates their woes instead of taking sharper risks. Some pages echo a sense of narrative treadmill more than true escalation.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1/2]

Final Thoughts:

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Is ROOK: EXODUS #8 worth a slice of your comic budget? Only if you thrive on icy tension, existential team-building, and a planet-sized dose of misery-fueled hope. The issue spins a visually sharp, thematically rich but often exhausting yarn, with standout moments tangled in webby repetition. Buyer beware: there’s plenty to chew on if you value mood and world-building, but don’t expect a pulse-racing, twist-packed thrill ride. This one parks itself squarely in the “consider but don’t impulse-buy” column for any discerning comic investor.

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