THE ROCKETFELLERS #0 (GHOST MACHINE/IMAGE COMICS)

After the dramatic experiences the Rocketfeller family has found themselves in recently. A small soft reboot of sorts is a reprieve from the emotional rollercoaster we have been on. Now we go back to how it started with their arrival in the 21st century, as well as the introduction to The Unbelievables!

The Rocketfellers #0 – Story & Words By Peter J. Tomasi – Story & Art By Francis Manapul - Letters By Rob Leigh - Edited By Brian Cunningham - Published By Ghost Machine/Image Comics

Credit: Ghost Machine/Image Comics

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

STORY OVERVIEW:

We open with a little introduction to The Unbelievables, given to us from the narration of the Trillion Dollar Kid. We then jump back to the present, where we see that the Rocketfeller’s have returned to their home in the 21st century still in shock from the loss of Roland and the confusion around Raina and her amnesia. As the family is working through this, we get a flashback to two years ago when the family first arrived in the 21st century. After arriving in Olympia, the family must get acclimated to this ancient world they find themselves in, well also dealing with the loss of their beloved matriarch. This time period shaped who the family is and the family we’ve grown to love over the last 12 issues. It also reveals how they ended up on the radar of the Trillion Dollar Kid and becoming one piece of what will become The Unbelievables.

WRITING:

This issue teases us with what will be the launch of this new team known as The Unbelievables. Peter J. Tomasi takes us on a nice little side journey about how our favorite family from the future on the run came to the 21st century and acclimated to our time. The story has a more joyful tone than the last few issues. Focusing mostly on the family figuring out these ancient times we currently live in, rather than the heavy and sorrowful “death” of Roland. Although there is still drama as they are dealing in real time with the death of the matriarch of their family, Rosie. Tomasi uses these elements to clean the slate for an issue to tell the start of The Unbelievables origin.

My only criticism of the story has nothing to do with the issue or direct creative team. But more to do with the rollout from Ghost Machine of this part of their universe. As we just passed another Free Comic Book Day, this zero issue as well as the planned one for Hornsby & Halo would have been better suited there. It feels like a waste of an issue and an unnecessary detour from the story arc we have been on, all to launch a universe that should’ve already had seeds planted for it. The confusion for fans of the series, coupled with the missed marketing opportunity that could’ve brought new readers in, may have been a misstep. This did not ruin the issue for me, nor did it play a part in my grade of this issue, but I felt it needed to be said as I’m surely not the only one thinking this.

ARTWORK:

The artwork featured in this issue is fantastic and what we have become accustomed to in this series. Francis Manapul does a wonderful job showing us the origin of the Rocketfellers arriving in the 21st century. The situations they find themselves in upon their arrival coupled with the heartbreak from losing Rosie is perfectly captured in the artwork. The facial features of the characters are worth a thousand words, and these emotions are pulled out by Manapul expertly. Manapul also does a great job with the sneak peak of the crossover event and new universe that we are on the precipice of.

Check Out My Review of THE ROCKETFELLERS #12

Final Thoughts:

The Rocketfellers #0 is a good prelude to what is to come with the launch of The Unbelievables and their universe. It also gives us a cool view of how the Rocketfellers came to the 21st century and the setting up for the story we have come to know. It will be interesting to see where we go in the next issue, and how that is approached by the creative team. If you have been interested in this series and were just waiting for a good time to dive in. This is a great jumping on opportunity, and you should definitely grab a copy at the shop this week.

FINAL GRADE: 8.5/10

Let me know your thoughts on The Rocketfellers #0 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!