The Massive, Vol. 2: Subcontinental

The Massive #2

by Brian Wood, Garry Brown (Illustrator), Gary Erskine (Illustrator)

Still adrift and on the hunt for their sister ship, The Massive, the crew of the Kapital—all that’s left of Callum Israel’s dwindling environmental-activism group Ninth Wave—are challenged at every turn as they face mutiny, sharks, snowy isolation, and the tempting possibility of a new life on a utopian sea station. The strain of life in a crumbling world, as well as secrets about Israel’s failing health, threaten to destroy a crew stretched to its limits. Collects issues #7–#12.

* Features an introduction by Sea Sheperd’s, Captain Peter Hammarstedt.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2013

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a name like Utopia, it’s gotta be good! Am I right?

(Insert Sponge Bob GIF where he draws hands apart over his head in a semi-circle. Substitute “Utopia” for “Imagination”)

“Hi! Welcome to our little oil rig in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Come on in. Make yourself at home! We need to take your weapons. Ha! It's for everybody’s safety. No one will bother you here. Check out our amenities. We’re serving the best chicken curry in the commissary. By the way, we need to commandeer your vessel. No worries. You can stay as long as you like. We can take care of that black eye, concussion and those broken ribs too.

“But I don’t have a black eye, concussion and broken ribs….”

That approach didn’t work too well at Woodbury either.

What continues to makes The Massive such a good read is that even though Mother Nature is reclaiming the Earth in a big way and society is rapidly falling apart, Wood continues to emphasize characterization and character development, more so in this series than in his other big dystopian story, DMZ .

The Kapital continues to search for its sister ship, but personal issues and a surrounding world that continues to fragment begin to take its toll on the ship and its crew.

Question: What happened to that guy who was standing too close to the huge man eating shark? Oh.

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

more low-key and downbeat "adventures" of the former eco-warrior ship Kapital and its diverse crew as they traverse a flooded and disaster-torn semi-post-apocalyptic world in pursuit of their gigantic sister ship reasonably named The Massive. featuring mainly pleasing art in brown & blue earth & water tones that still manages to be forgettable. much like the stories they illustrate. intelligent, measured, predictable, and ultimately dull.

this series reminded me a lot of certain adventure shows that start out with fantastic flair and snazzy camerawork, a deeply developed world, intriguing mysteries, absorbing characters, the works... and then by episode 4 they've remembered they are a tv series and so de-emphasize the overarching narrative in favor of uninteresting self-contained stories. that's just not my thing in general. I usually give up on those shows around then, just as I'm now giving up on this still admirable and worthy series.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wood gets preachy here while providing background history. In the first half of the book, the Kapital docks at an oil rig that's trying to set itself up as a sovereign nation. There's more going on behind the scenes, but it is delivered in a haphazard, obtuse way that left me somewhat confused on a few things. Then Callum goes all Captain Ahab in his search for The Massive and there's this really weird shark island thing that I didn't really get. Overall I didn't care for this volume as much as the last one. It felt like Wood realized people like this and started to pad it out to extend the series.

[Craig Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The potential is here but I just don't know how many more pages of chasing a ghost ship I can stand. Sorry Kapital, maybe the Massive just isn't that into you.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is awesome. While we still don't find the Massive, I'm beginning to wonder as the book suggests if it's even real, or like peace, comfort and stability, it just doesn't exist anymore. The mysterious search for the ever elusive Massive has become, or perhaps always was, a metaphor for the post-Crash world in which the Kapital crew lives. The dialog is sharp, the art is rough and emotive, and the writing is brilliant. Now I'm planning on getting the next three volumes in a row from the library and ordering myself the Deluxe volumes when I can afford it.

[Mike Jozic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still not as riveting as Wood's DMZ but this book certainly has my attention. It's a real slow burn with more of a focus on character dynamics than the bigger over-arcing plot, but it remains a compelling story with some interesting themes that I'm looking forward to seeing Wood explore further.

[Monty · Rating 2 out of 5]

We all know that some times it can be hard to judge a comic series by it's first story arc/trade paperback. Some times you're just not exposed to the world enough to know if you like it yet and it takes volume 2 to drive it home for you. Other times, the world just may not be fully realized yet and it feels like it's exploring options. Regardless, the series should really be on the ground running by volume 2. With The Massive, I felt like the first paperback was intriguing enough to persuade me to read the 2nd one, but I have to say, the 2nd one feels like it's crawling, at best.

The first volume of Massive didn't completely blow me away but it was interesting enough to make me want to read the next volume. The series is very much anchored in real world territory, where every country and location has some sort of backstory after armageddon hit. While these back stories are clever and you can tell some time went into writing them, they become white noise to me because it becomes 2 pages of inner-monologging-info-dumping. Is there any way to tell this story through the characters instead?

Anyway, in volume 2, the ninth wave is approaching some place that is regarded as a utopian society that exists on several oil platforms. Pretty cool idea, but things unravel fast and it's quite apparent that this utopia, well, isn't. Now, it may just be me, but this story didn't really seem to go anywhere. The ninth wave shows up to say hey, some of the members of the crew make some kind of drop off deal and then Mary disables communication from the place. They're all questioned and then they all leave to return to looking for the massive. Oh, and Cal has cancer now.

So the story doesn't really go anywhere and the story arc doesn't even branch through the whole volume. I guess it happened just so we could find out the main character has cancer? I don't know, but the book doesn't really explain any of the characters actions here. Why are they even at this place? Did I miss that part? This story didn't do much for me.

One of the following issues/chapters features sharks! Okay, now we're getting somewhere! So there is a little backstory on sharks during this time and how they've survived. You're then introduced to learn that a Megalodon still exists! This thing is surely going to wreck havoc! But alas, the sharks show up and Mary jumps in with them for some reason? She even comes eye to eye with the Megalodon and just sort of swims away from him and the other sharks and everythings cool. This issue had me scratching my head till it was raw. Why introduce sharks if they aren't really going to do anything!? What was the point? What am I missing here? Someone can hitch a ride under water on a giant shark!?

The worst though is the final issue, I guess they find the massive? Did they? I'm not sure, but there wasn't a reveal of any kind if they did. It was pretty disappointing.

All I can say is that this volume felt stalled enough that I'm not sure how much more I actually want to read of it. I think the series suffers from constantly trying to keep a running drama going without creating anything tense or interesting enough for the reader to be interested. I feel like a series about Cal's past would've been a better route to take with a new series, it seems a lot more interesting and exciting! Mercenary who discovers he has a conscience and tries to walk away form it all? Sure!

The Massive is kind of boring... I mean, how do you introduce a Megalodon and he doesn't even do anything!? seriously!??...

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually like this one and it just rushed the oil rig story, I've would've liked a couple more issues exploring that instead they are immediately suspicious and they don't' even get to finish a beer, especially since the last two issues after the oil rig were not nearly as good. It's either lame or different how Callum especially is able to keep surviving when being held hostage. That is happening too often. I did like the Greorg final ending. The search for The Massive at the end was fairly boring. The shark island as cool at least but it was only a few pages. One thing that I absolutely do not like where it is going with Mary.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series just hasn't really clicked with me. I really tried to like it, but at most I was vaguely interested.

I like the concept, but I don't care about any of the characters. I feel like they all deserve the world they live in... and the constant search for The Massive feels like a will-they-or-won't-they love affair between two characters in a tediously long running sitcom.

I feel bad because I'm sure this was planned from the beginning and it will reward those who make it to the end, but I just can't do it.

[MonumentToDecency · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review for this is pretty much the same as my review for The Massive, Vol. 1: Black Pacific which if you're really interested can be found here.

My rating: 3 too slow roads for me out of 5

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tonally, this book feels a lot like DMZ. It's a post-apocalyptic world, lovingly described, but with the focus on the characters traveling through it. And that's all a great thing, because DMZ is Woods' masterpiece (to date).

I found the first book of The Massive a little too episodic, so I was pleased to get more continuity in this one. Wood's increasingly building a story of interesting characters ... but for some reason the story feels quite opaque. Several times in this volume I really couldn't figure out what Wood was saying was going on. I don't know if it's a terse style he's using in this book, the relation with the artists, or something more. Also, the snipe hunt for the Massive is getting old.

So, I think I viscerally enjoyed this volume more than the first, but the muddiness of the storytelling and its repetitiveness kept me from loving it.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume collects two shorter series; Moksha station is an oil rig trying to be a sovereign nation; Callum and co. are reticent at first, but paranoia turns to be practical as things take a turn for the worse for everyone, setting up big events for the future as Mac and Georg and Mary all pursue their own agendas, often to the detriment of Cal. And the second half includes a couple of separate stories, as more of the devastation that has scourged the world shows unintended consequences (with a story that seems to be an excuse to draw sharks), and how the devastation the crew sees affects them. It's an interesting world, and the first story especially shows consequences, but the second half felt a little light comparatively.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this as much as I liked the first volume, but the "ghost ship" concept is getting old fast, as are some of the believability issues. More frustrating than the story, however, is the change in art styles. We basically have six issues of the comic collected here with four different artists. Is there some reason for this? The inconsistency in art really drives me crazy. I'm hoping the third trade is better.

[Andy W Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first volume of the series with the introduction of the characters, the world building and the central mystery of what happened to The Massive, but my interest started to drift in Vol. 2.

Some interesting character developments, but we're no closer to solving the mystery of The Massive and the story wandered as much as the Kapital and it's crew did.

The artwork and characters will make me see this through to the end.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still liking this series. I do find myself wondering how much longer it's going to be before they, you know, find what they're looking for. There's only so long this can be dragged out before it gets old. Curious whether that will be the climax of the series or not. Certain plots seem to be heading for a resolution sooner rather than later. We'll see what Volume 3 brings ...

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still pretty good, though I'm getting as tired as the crew of the fruitless search for The Massive. Hopefully that gets resolved soon. Also, the artwork was quite variable here, from the outstanding to the cartoonishly awful.

[Ystyn Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Massive" offers a fascinating world with limitless potential.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was a bit loose, but very interesting. Looking forward to returning to this tale. Though depressing, it does take you on a journey.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

More in the 3.5 range.

This block of stories from The Massive was a pretty decent continuation of the first six. However, I felt some of the material and writing got a bit choppy. I liked a lot of the stories, but some of the others I felt were a bit more ridiculous than anything else.

On the realistic side, Cal's health has become a real issue for the crew and after leaving Moksha it has made things harder. So, that conflict has added a bit more intensity into the mix. There's a stint where The Massive is possibly sighted in the realms of South America, but some nations are engaged in conflict, so some crew members from those regions want to return to their homelands to help in the fight. This could hurt the Kapitel, since less people to run the ship will obviously make it harder to run the ship and thus harder to find The Massive. All these conflicts were really great storylines amidst the overarching mystery of the Massive.

However, interspersed were some ridiculous tales. The most ridiculous was the once called Megalodon. Even though this came out way after the comic, the movie starring Jason Statham called The Meg was way cooler and made way more sense by comparison! In this particular issue a Megalodon somehow shows up. I feel like the writer just wanted to include sharks in his post apocalyptical world... and amidst a large amount of sharks is a Megalodon? For... uhm... reasons? I have no idea, it felt extremely random and it just pulled me out of the realism this series seemed to be going for since the beginning. I hope this won't be a common occurrence, because I feel like Brian Wood has tried to make a painstakingly realistic climate apocalypse and throwing these more fantastical things in with zero explanation just pulls you outside of that.

The other problem is that the artists kept changing in this block of comics. At the beginning the art change wasn't that drastic. It looked like they hired someone that could do a good job of replicating the art of the original artist, but as time went on it eventually switched to someone who was drastically different. It was extremely jarring when this change happened, because the characters I've gotten used to looked pretty different. Especially Cal, so it was weird. The writing is still good, so I intend to keep up with the story, of course, but just something to forewarn potential readers about.

In the end, it's still The Massive, and it's still good. I hope the following issues return to the more solid footing of the first six, but we shall see how things progress. If you liked the first round of issues, you may still enjoy these, despite some of the changes that seem to be taking place.

[Rodolfo Santullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segundo tomo de The Massive y la sensación es que las cosan se ponen por completo en marcha. Tenemos a nuestros protagonistas -siempre en la búsqueda del barco que le da título a la serie, que ya se me hace no van a encontrar nunca o hasta el final- llegando a Moksha, una especia de isla (y estado independiente) conformado por la unión de innumerables plantas petroleras. Moksha vive en paz y aparentemente separada de los intereses políticos que, como siempre, sacuden al mundo por lo que será una muy tentadora parada definitiva para los integrantes de Novena Ola (por mucho que le pese al Capitán Israel). Ya habiendo presentado a sus protagonistas, ahora Wood gana espacio para sus secundarios. Así, Lars el piloto, Ryan la americana y Georg el piradito, ganan espacio y hasta secuencias propias. Se revela también que no todos a bordo del Kapital están conformes con la manera de cómo se hacen las cosas y esperan cambios en breve. Y a su vez, se sigue construyendo el universo donde transcurre nuestra historia, esta nueva tierra con el apocalipsis tan pero tan cerquita. Si bien Wood la lleva atada y me parece que es ahora cuando mejor explota sus conceptos, me pasa que alguno de los personajes comienza a hartarme. En especial Mary, la misteriosa-todo-terreno-con-extraña-conexión-con-el-mar que es una especie de Yoda sabia e insoportable. No es que esté mal construida como personaje pero si sus aires de misterio me tienen harto. Nuevamente el arte se balancea entre varios dibujantes. El regular Garry Brown lo vuelve a hacer muy bien y tenemos al inmenso Danijel Zezelj de invitado en un episodio (que, no hay caso, lo prefiero siempre en blanco y negro). Como otros invitados está Gary Erskine que no da con la talla (y mira que me gusta Erskine por lo general, por ejemplo su laburo en Capitán América) y completa un impresentable llamado Declan Shalvey (aunque dibuja lindos tiburones, hay que admitir). The Massive sigue siendo una serie muy pero muy interesante de seguir.

[tartaruga fechada · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our economies are based on models where infinite growth is a necessity, in a world where there are natural limits to growth. The planet Earth has a limited production capacity (there are only so many fish), absorbent capacity (it can only process so much pollution), and carrying capacity (it can only support so many people). More species of plants and animals will disappear between 2000 and 2065 than have gone extinct in the last 65 million years. The crisis facing the world's oceans, where by 2048 it is predicted that all of the world's major fisheries will have collapsed, is the tragedy of the commons, the depletion of fish populations in an extractive free-for-all fueled by the reality that if one fishing vessel doesn't exploit an area to the fullest, then another one will." - Captain Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd (From the Forward).

[Kevin Luy · Rating 2 out of 5]

12 issues in and we still have no idea why the Massive is important other than being told that it is every few pages. I get that we are continually TOLD it's important. But no characters inhabiting that ship have been introduced or even mentioned. Since the mission of Ninth Wave is still vague as hell it's impossible to know if or how the Massive supports that mission.
Maybe it's an elaborate meta project, where the story, like the Massive never shows up and the question is how long will people follow the vague notion of the Massive.

DMZ was also premise heavy with cool art and light on everything else. But after the premise (which gets monotonously rehashed every issue) and the art everything else is as elusive as the Massive itself.

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pursuit of the Massive--which truly seems a ghost ship at this point--continues throughout the volume, but surprise it proves a red herring again. The search provides excuses for the Ninth Wavers that are still on the Kapital to blunder into several interesting and dangerous situations--primarily a dystopian/utopian city built of a bunch of oil rig remnants. We get to know Mag and the other crew better, but this, even more than the first volume is Cal's story again. He gets the most obstacles, the most growth, etc. All without being terribly proactive, at least here.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si meriterebbe anche molto di più delle stelle date, la narrazione matura e le sfumature psicologiche dei protagonisti sono davvero ben fatte.

Allora perché non ho dato di più?

Semplice, tutte la storie e le avventure in cui ci ritroviamo sono dovute all'inseguimento di questa fantomatica nave alla deriva, di cui si sente la presenza ma non si percepisce mai la figura.
La si insegue fino a rischiare la vita, fino a perdere la vita, che poi l'equipaggio sopra questa nave alla deriva non sarebbe dovuto morire di stenti già da un bel po' ?

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling story set in a post-eco collapse dystopia. I’m hooked and I am committed to Volume 3. No spoilers just know that this is Brian Wood at his best and the rotating cast of artists all do great work in each issue. That would be Garry Brown, Gary Erkstine, Declan Shalvey, and Danijel Zezelj.

[Isaac Hladky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the book gave a solid rising action to the search of The Massive. The Rig, chat with old friends, and travelling to the Arctic Circle to search for The Massive. It was found out that Cal has Cancer, and is not in good health conditions both physically and mentally. I can tell by the story that things are getting worse for the characters, especially Cal.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The search continues... I'm still intrigued and will keep chasing "The Massive," just like the crew of "The Kapital."

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this were good but others not so much. I like and hate how he has story points that just don’t resolve. I will keep reading

[Tina Olah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed vol.2 just as much as the first! Especially liked Declan Shalvey's art in the "shark" issue.

[Jason Fryer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great continuation of a really cool story. As always, the art is fantastic but the further character development really hits the spot.