Advance Review: Looking For Some Needed Surprises In ‘Our Bones Dust’ #1
by Tom Smithyman
Ben Stenbeck is taking on a lot on Our Bones Dust. A frequent collaborator with the legendary Mike Mignola, Stenbeck assumes responsibility not only for the art but also writing. He’s partially successful, based on the first issue of this four-part limited series.
Our Bones Dust features a young scavenger on a dying world (is it Earth?) who is trying to evade cannibalistic tribes. The kid is fearless and knows how to take care of himself, though there is a bigger danger in the desert. Add in an artificial intelligence that is studying the planet and the dead civilization that used to live there.
Not surprisingly, Stenbeck is somewhat more successful as an artist than the writer of this premiere issue. The AIs have a unique look – vaguely humanoid but with elongated arms and legs. When we first meet them, one is studying the ground by levitating the right angles of soil and rock. The members of the tribes have clearly lived difficult lives, with their faces serving as maps of the world. The tribesmen are buff by scarred, and dental hygiene is clearly an afterthought.
The story, though – at least for this first issue – is less engaging than the visuals. There’s the conflict with the kid and the tribes with the leader threatening to eat the youngster alive. The broken dialogue also takes some getting used to. (“Dey got any schtuff datll burn?” may have a clear meaning, but it requires a slow and perhaps second read.)
The most interesting plot line – aside from that largely unseen danger mentioned earlier – is the AI and their involvement with the kid. Attis, the being that wants to explore the planet in greater detail, seems destined to interfere with the goings on, even though it’s forbidden. Think of them as Watchers in the Marvel universe. Unfortunately, that makes the most intriguing storyline one of the most familiar.
There are lots of ways for Stenbeck to take the three remaining issues. Hopefully he will surprise us before this short series reaches its end.
Our Bones Dust #1 will be available for purchase on December 6, 2023.
Overview
Strong illustrations partially offset some overly familiar plotlines and difficult-to-read dialogue in this post-apocalyptic tale. For now, focus on the visuals and hope that the story gets stronger.