In Review: Earthdivers #7

Description: Guest artist Riccardo Burchielli (DMZ) joins Earthdivers, for a side mission to the Ice Age in the first of a four-issue mini-arc exploring America’s pre-Columbian past! When Martin and Tawny’s children disappeared, the couple barreled into the desert to track them down at any cost. Instead, they ran afoul of another group of rovers who claimed to be saving the world by traveling through a cave portal to the year 1492 to prevent the creation of America—an idea that defied belief until the grieving parents were lured into the cave and vanished in time and space. Now alone, Tawny must adapt to the wild marshlands of prehistoric Florida, circa 20,000 BC, and the breathtaking and bloodthirsty megafauna are the least of her problems when she’s caught in a war between a community of native Paleo-Indians and an occupying Solutrean force. Tawny’s odds of survival are in free fall, but she’s a mother on a mission…and she’s holding on to hope that the cave brought her here for a family reunion.

The Story

Spinning off from the main story, which was told in previous issues. This story focuses on Tawny and her journey back in time to the Ice Age to find her lost children. When she passes through the cave Tawny awakes in the Ice Age during America’s pre-Columbian past. As she ventures across the land, which is populated by Wooly Mammoths and Saber Tooth Cats she finds a tribe of Natives that have been wiped out by a European tribe of white people called The Solutreans. As she continues her travels Tawny comes across a young White Boy who is sick and has been left behind. This causes Tawny’s maternal instincts to kick in as she tries to help the young boy. As it reminds her of how helpless her own lost children might be.

The Artwork

Guest artist Riccardo Burchielli does a great job on this first issue and captures a really solid representation of the Ice Age with his art. I loved the panel where Tawny kills a saber-toothed cat and winds up using it as a coat to keep her warm. I also loved the panels where we see a hunting party working together to take down a wooly mammoth. Overall the art is solid throughout and captures Tawny’s journey brilliantly. That said though. It will be interesting to see if we’ll get to see any examples of cave paintings in future issues as a backdrop.

Overall

A great first issue with what feels like a simpler story than the one that has been told in previous issues. But that’s only because it is focused mainly on Tawny and not a bunch of people across more than one timeline.