Do you know what would make the world a better place? If Christopher Columbus wasn’t alive to help create America. This is part of the plot of Earthdivers, a new IDW Original series that sets out to rewrite history. While dystopian, apocalyptic futures are nothing new, Earthdivers decides to detour from the norm by setting Christopher Columbus up as the figure who needs to be wiped out in order to save humanity. The creative team of Stephan Graham Jones, Davide Gianfelice, Joana Lafuente, and Steve Wands introduce readers to Earthdivers with a simple formula of a peek at 2112, showing how much of the world has changed for the worse.ย
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Our central cast consists of four Indigenous characters who come up with the plan to send one of their own back to the past to kill Christopher Columbus. As far as plots go it’s pretty straightforward but in a good way. We learn Tad was chosen for the time-travel mission because he’s a genius linguist, which you wouldn’t immediately think is important until you realize there are several different dialects to choose from in the 1490s. Tad isn’t a killer but has to become one in order to sneak aboard the Santa Maria and Niรฑa. His relationship with his wife Sosh is compelling and definitely worth exploring in future issues.
Earthdiversย #1 does a good job of jumping back and forth between Tad in the past and his friends in the future. They are waiting not-so-patiently to see if Tad is successful in his mission. If so, their world should transform. However, that’s not the case at the moment. Blackfeet, the brains behind the operation, is cool, calm, and calculated, which means the others are a little distrustful of him. Much of the drama comes from Tad being in the past, where he clashes with other members of the ship’s crew. From using the wrong language to making a young boy believe he’s a magician, Tad has a rough time acclimating to his new environment.ย
The art in Earthdivers is another highlight that really increases the level of enjoyment in its debut issue. For example, Tad and Sosh are both brown-skinned but the coloring by Joana Lafuente makes sure to give them each a different contrast so they don’t look exactly alike. This may seem like a small detail, but it’s something that can easily be overlooked when working with diverse characters. Panels and pages flow smoothly from one to the next, and backgrounds are given just the right amount of care.
It’ll be fun to see if Tad can go through with killing Christopher Columbus. More than likely he will continue to run into roadblocks and have to make questionable choices, such as the one he makes at the end of Earthdivers #1. More of his morals will be compromised, and Tad may have to decide between sparing Christopher Columbus or saving his timeline. Either way, it should be an enjoyable ride for readers.
Published by IDW Publishing
On October 5, 2022
Written by Stephen Graham Jones
Art by Davide Gianfelice
Colors by Joana Lafuente
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover by Rafael Albuquerque
