Concrete: Stars Over Sand #1 (DARK HORSE COMICS)
If you've ever read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and connected with its sense of alienation, melancholy, and its exploration of what it means to be human, then Concrete: Stars Over Sand might be a comic you need to check out.
What's going on, peeps! Today we're talking about Concrete: Stars Over Sand #1, written and illustrated by Paul Chadwick and published by Dark Horse Comics.
Credit: Dark Horse Comics
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Going into this issue, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I know Concrete is a character with a long history, but I had never read any of his previous stories. Because of that, I came into this comic completely blind. What surprised me was how much this book reminded me of the feelings I get when reading Swamp Thing.
This isn't a comic driven by action or spectacle. Instead, it slows down and focuses on emotion, reflection, and character. There is a heaviness throughout the story that you can feel in both Chadwick's writing and artwork. This issue asks a simple but powerful question: What does it mean to be human?
If your body changed completely, would you still be the same person? How much of your identity is tied to your physical form, and how much comes from the person inside?
Those are the kinds of questions that sit at the heart of this first issue, and they're what kept me engaged from beginning to end.
What I appreciate most is that the book never feels preachy or overly complicated. It presents these ideas naturally through its characters and trusts the reader to think about them long after the story is over. By the time I reached the final page, I found myself wanting more. One issue in, and I'm already looking forward to issue two of this five issue miniseries.
Now, this book won't be for everyone. If you're looking for fast paced action and constant excitement, this may not be your thing. But if you enjoy comics that challenge you to think a little deeper and explore themes of identity, isolation, and humanity, then Concrete: Stars Over Sand is absolutely worth your time.
FINAL GRADE: 9.5
Have you read Concrete before? Let me know down in the comments. Make sure to like, subscribe, and follow Fanlight Zone on all platforms.
And until next time...Read Your Comics.
