A very engaging and enjoyable full tilt science fiction comic. The story open by plunging right into the action, a chase that nicely play with reader expectations before smoothly moving into a wide open space opera. Shea and Sean, brother and sister, are humans and they clearly have a on going fight with robots, the robots are as happy to bring the fight back to Shea and Sean in turn.
James Roche has created a great set up and provided enough action and splinters of context to have the reader really want to know how it will continue. The cast are dramatically introduced and the plot mechanics are fully engaged. Space opera is by its nature a huge canvas for a story and James Roche has taken the genre requirements to heart and delivered them with confident bravado. Interplanetary travel, multiple species, a upfront conflict that is clearly part of a much bigger wide spread issue, all nicely fitting together without knocking out the balance of the story.
From the opening splash panel Salomon Farias’s demonstrates a astonishing mastery of space opera art, a crowd scene that instantly places the read into the context and makes it clear that they can instantly relax into the story, they are in safe hands. The cast are physical and dynamic, the action is fast and has weight and impact. They are expressive and engaging, the walk on parts are given the same attention so that the all important context is consistently solid and convincing. There is an abundance of detail in the art that never seems crowed or fussy, it just anchors the reader and allows them enjoy the full depth of the story.
Chunlin Zao’s colours are wonderful, they are the colours of a space opera action story, they give depth and definition to the details and the cast, they capture the emotional tones and nuances of the story with subtle care.
The letters by Jamie Me are quiet and unobtrusive, they fit into the art and are easy to read. The sound effects on the other hand are exactly as loud, obtrusive and dominating as they should be, they give the scenes the extra dimension they need to really pop out.
Comics are a natural home for epic science fiction, that does not make it easy to execute, the creative team here embrace the possibilities and give reader a deep thrill and a powerful reason to come back for more.
