The name Christopher Columbus is well known over the United States, but not in the way we all used to know him. Earthdivers gives us the chance to see what it would’ve been like if the explorer never reached the shores of the States.
Stephen Graham Jones makes his ongoing comics debut with Earthdivers! The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as expected: rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of outcast Indigenous survivors who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the middle of the desert and figured out where the world took a sharp turn for the worst: America.
Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own on a bloody, one-way mission back to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But taking down an icon is no easy task, and his actions could prove devastating for his friends in the future.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Jones (The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw) with illustration by Davide Gianfelice (Northlanders, Firefly) and an incredible cover by Rafael Albuquerque (Batman, American Vampire). Steve Wands lettered the book with colors by Joana Lafuente.
Earthdivers grabbed my attention when researching which books to feature for the month of October and the comic didn’t disappoint. The creative team took a swing for the fences with this controversial book and I really can’t blame them. Jones’ flow and Gianfelice art does the book and story justice, giving us a chance to find out a “what if?” situation. As I have seen in a few books over the past few weeks, the layouts on this debut issue were outstanding.
Truthfully I have never thought I would open a comic book that included Christopher Columbus, The Nina and The Santa Maria. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Also, the debut issue’s cover is nothing short of spectacular.
It is not always easy for a NYT bestseller to make the jump to an ongoing comic book series, but the faith should be behind Jones and the rest of the team at Earthdivers as the book leads you to want more and answer some hanging questions. Earthdivers #1 hits your local comic book shop on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 with the second issue coming in November from IDW Publishing.
Earthdivers Optioned for Television
According to the writer, the series has been optioned for tv at 20th Century Television, “It’s already been sold to 20th Century Television, by the way, and it’ll be interesting to see how it transfers over into that medium,” said Graham. Of course it is in the early days of development and has a ways to go, but it is worth noting Earthdivers may end up on the small screen and worth grabbing your copy on October 5.
