Superstar writer Fred Van Lente comes together with Dark Horse to bring about new webcomic Project Black Sky to complement its recent free comic book day entry. This webcomic describes the tales of a secret Government agency that, throughout the 20th Century have dealt with the extraterrestrial threats which plague the Earth. But is this project a success or will it need to be covered up?

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Steve Ellis, Michael Broussard
Price: Free from ProjectBlackSky.net

When reading the Project Black Sky webcomic, the story begins with a prologue that seems very familiar as a couple investigate a crashed spaceship that just so happens to hold a child. However, their curiosity comes at a price when soldiers ambush them. Fast-forward to 1961 and, as an unauthorised launch of a rocket is underway, armed forces attempt to stop it, only to discover that the instigator of said launch is a non-human presence. His mission: to get a group of astronauts into orbit to use an experimental ship which can be used to travel between realities.

This story certainly feels more like a taster for bigger things, notably the recent free comic book of the same name. That said, Van Lente has produced a very engrossing tale which is certainly enticing as it gives you just enough information to wonder if your questions will be answered tomorrow. Meanwhile, the artwork complements the stories and so far has looked very well suited to the story and the time period referenced.

Sadly, while the lack of information makes the series enticing, it is also a downside as there is little in way of a synopsis or explanation of the players. By day/page 8 characters have not been fleshed out enough and most have not even been named, while the connection between the chapters has not been revealed. Also, the viewing of the webcomic is also very frustrating as there isn’t a smooth transition between pages which can ruin the pacing of the story. That said, despite these flaws, it doesn’t detract from how truly interesting the series is.

“Project Black Sky is a very different kind of comic because of it’s ongoing but one page at a time nature. This makes it frustrating as it causes the series to release information over a longer period than a normal comic, making the book more confusing. However, despite this, Project Black Sky appears to have an inherent ability to engross which may make it worth a look.”