After Earth: Innocence (Dynamite)

writer: Michael Jan Friedman & Robert Greenberger
artist: Beni Lobel

A one-shot based on the upcoming movie After Earth, this was something of a cheat for a reader who likes to combat his image for reading mostly DC comics.  The movie is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who has been a favorite of mine since his breakthrough 1999 effort The Sixth Sense, which at once catapulted the filmmaker into superstardom and forever linked him to the idea that he's a one-track talent.  Two years ago he attempted to subvert that idea by helming the big screen adaptation The Last Airbender, based on a different Avatar than the one that became one of the biggest box office success stories of all time.  Critics and audiences still seemed to chafe at having a second look at Shyamalan's talents, but I found it to be a refreshing look at a fantasy epic as well as a fresh spin on his instincts (though he does that in all of his films, whether recognized or not).

Anyway, After Earth seems to be a continuation of this, if the Innocence one-shot is any indication.  Innocence itself is a self-contained an highly entertaining look at the overarching concepts behind the film.  I don't know whether to outline those concepts or not, spoilers being such an important part of the Shyamalan mystique (highly exaggerated as it may be).

Okay, here it goes: Earth has to be abandoned, and the society that survives is split into two warring groups that only grudgingly cooperate.  Things get worse when humanity comes under siege from an alien menace that is superior to any weapon yet developed.

That's pretty much it.  The story hinges, however, on the idea of legacies in a more human sense, from generation to generation and father to son.  As I said, the one-shot reads extremely well, especially for something derived from a movie.  Those projects are always hit-or-miss, let alone for ones that haven't even happened yet.  What's even more impressive is that the story makes you care for a high concept and legitimately leaves you wanting more.  There's plenty to tell here.

I could go on, I suppose, especially at how After Earth reflects concepts rarely attributed to Shyamalan but present in all his films, but I'll let you decide if I've begun to change any of your ideas, or if the movie or this comic sounds appealing on their own merits.