Snowpiercer: The Prequel, Part 1 — Extinction

“Snowpiercer” didn’t actually need to be a trilogy of graphic novels.  The first one told a good self-contained story, the second expanded on it to diminishing returns and a hauntingly nihilistic ending, while the third actually managed to deliver a satisfying wrap-up to it all.  So when I heard that there was going to be a prequel to the series, you’d be right to assume that I was skeptical regarding its necessity to the saga.  Then I heard that series artist Jean-Marc Rochette would be working with a writer that I’ve got plenty of time for:  “The Killer” and “Bullet to the Head” writer Matz.  So now I had reason for optimism.

Optimism that feels misplaced at this current juncture.  In a first for the series, Rochette is credited as a co-writer on this volume.  I don’t know if it’s his presence that has diluted Matz’s, but “Extinction” is missing one of the things I love to see in his works:  Awful people that you ultimately wind up liking in spite of themselves.  As a matter of fact, this first prequel volume is short on memorable characters as we’re thrown into a world on the brink of ecological disaster.  Looking to give humanity a push over the edge is a group called the Apocalypsters (yes, really).  Based in the Amazon, they’ve got plans to wipe out humanity, but they need more manpower.  That’s why their leader is reaching out to the leader of Wrath, an ecoterrorist group, to see if their interests can properly align.

Where’s the Snowpiercer in all this?  Being built by a Chinese philanthropist named Zheng.  He’s seen the end of the world coming as well, and it’s his belief that his perpetually-moving train will be able to survive the forthcoming cataclysm.  While there are still questions about who will get on board and how the Apocalypsters will bring about the end of the world, the story hasn’t offered up anything that has surprised me.  Matz’s ideological dialogues are fine (assuming you agree with him), and so is Rochette’s art.  That’s all this volume has going for it, and it’s not enough to convince me that this “Snowpiercer” prequel needed to exist at all.