'Inside Moebius #6' by Jean Giraud (Moebius).
Cover art for the graphic novel 'Inside Moebius: Book 6', published in 2010.
'Inside Moebius #6' by Jean Giraud (Moebius).
Cover art for the graphic novel 'Inside Moebius: Book 6', published in 2010.
Art by Jean Giraud (Moebius).
Art by Jean Giraud (Moebius).
Art by Jean Giraud (Moebius).
'Snow Glass Apples' by Colleen Doran, Cover art for the graphic novel adaptation of the short story written by Neil Gaiman, published by Dark Horse Comics.
11" x 17" print on luxe pearlescent stock paper, in a limited edition of 750 for $38 until Monday September 4 at 12am ET 2023, and then $45 afterwards.
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Set on the planet Orion-XB12557 in the 'Retroworlds' universe, a term the the Galactic Federation calls worlds that have regressed into a more primitive and isolationist way of life, Kolhen, a warrior tricked by a seducing temple priestess, is imprisoned and sentenced to slavery where he meets Tryana, witness to an offworlder trading in outlawed weapons, and together they find a way to escape their captivity. They soon meet a mysterious blonde woman, who’s armed with strange and powerful weaponry, and collectively, they band together to help stop the arms dealer's meddling.
This is a quick and fun read. As with my previous encounter with Verlanger's work, the graphic novel series 'Retroworld' (my review here), I found the world building to be pretty good, giving you sense of the culture, politics and environments of planet Orion-XB12557. The character development isn't as well fleshed out as the world seems to be, as we don't get much of an exposition into the backgrounds of the main characters, but the story's fast paced nature breezes along with decent (and sometimes violent) action and plot set pieces and is enough to keep you interested and drag you along for the ride.
The art by Jorge Miguel is impressive and really suits the story and the setting. The characters and the world they inhabit are very detailed, but not overly so. I also liked the use of colour, giving the different locales and scenes a distinct personality and standing out across the comic panels.
'Orion's Outcasts' hooks its sharp world building claws into you quickly and together with the impressive art and simple, but fast paced story, is an exciting read that's worth picking up if you fancy reading some Sci-Fi adapted from one of Europe's most celebrated authors.
The set up for the series is as follows; Humans have scattered and occupied the known universe for so long that many worlds have forgotten their Earthly origins. The planets which still retain the memory of their beginnings have banded together, forming a Galactic Federation, whereas the rest are worlds that have regressed into a more primitive and isolationist way of life - the Retros. The Federation deploys its best agent, Marce, with a vital mission to help one of these retro worlds advance and evolve. But when he gets caught up in political machinations, on a world with brutal living conditions, and fighting against deadly creatures, the mission proves to be more difficult than first thought.
With the stage set in the first few pages, we get into the story. And it's a story that doesn't feel particularly original, as it hits a few familiar genre fiction story beats and tropes, but it doesn't need to be unique. It just needs to be entertaining, and I definitely found it that. Even though there seems to be a lot going on, the story pacing had a sense of urgency about it, helping push the narrative forward, but didn't feel too rushed, in my opinion. The character development isn't too deep, however, but you still got a sense of their motivations, especially from our main trio of Agent Marce, Jatred and Orval. The world building however, was pretty good. Most of the story is on the Retroworld of Almagiel, and through the pages of both graphic novels we get to see quite a bit of it. The different environments, peoples, political factions and gangs, plus the killer wildlife! It gave the world a real sense of depth especially with Peyravernay's artwork, which for me, the quality never faltered at all over the two volumes, giving it a consistent visual feast for the eyes. I've seen some comments say that the artwork is a bit too busy and compact, but I found it suited the story just right.
Set in the year 997, the series begins with the brutal ambush of a Royal carriage convoy, where all were killed except for one horrifically maimed survivor. Our heroes, Raedwald and Arnulf, happen to discover on the massacre, but when they later run into the King's men who decline to answer Raedwald's questions about the convoy, and demand that the survivor is taken to a specific hospice, this sparks an interest in Raedwald that there may be more to the ambush than at first it seems.
'Zaroff' is a thrilling read with beautifully rendered artwork, that once the chase begins, is unrelenting and full of suspense, tension and horror! A must read!
Madi Preston, is a cybernetically augmented mercenary, part of J-Squad, a merc special ops unit that freelances their unique ability to be remote controlled by specialists while in the field. But when their latest mission ends with the death of one their crew, Madi decides she’s had enough. But in order to pay back the debt she still owes, she takes an off-the-books job, and when the piece of tech she’s supposed to steal turns out to be a child, and she suddenly blacks out... she finds herself on the run from everyone she’s ever known.
I'm a big fan of Duncan Jones' movies, with this being the third and final story set in the same 'Cinematic Universe' as his 'Moon' and 'Mute' movies (the 'Mooniverse'), the graphic novel takes the familiar elements and themes from those movies, especially from 'Mute' I feel, and adds a dash of 'Blade Runner (2049)', 'Ghost in The Shell' and CD Projekt Red's recent 'Cyberpunk 2077' video game, blending everything together and reworking it into a brand new story, that was a joy to read!
As good as the story is, the main talking point of 'Madi' is the artwork, with a venerable who's who of the comic industry working on the pages throughout the graphic novel. But with the amount of artists involved, you might think that the clash of differing art styles when transitioning from scene to scene would be jarring and take you out of the story. Not so for me. It looked like the story was carefully divided up in a way to minimise this. And it works really well, with the change in artist helping with the shift in tone of what is happening to the story on the page.
I really enjoyed 'Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future'. It's lively and energetic, with a hard as nails BAMF female lead kicking ass from start to finish. A graphic novel that is a spectacular feast for the eyes in a beast of a book!
Available from Z2 Comics, Forbidden Planet, Waterstones, and all good comic and book stores.
It's an excellent read, filled with classic Western tropes, but still feeling fresh and exciting, and a few surprises along the way, yet still respecting the classic original comics.
Just like Lucky Luke in the story, this should be on your Most Wanted lists!
It's
an decent read with a set of characters and plot that are very recognizable. With a similarity in its title, if you're a fan of the 'A Song Of Ice And Fire / Game Of Thrones' series, then this could be a quick read for you.
This is a really engaging and fantastical story, that keeps gently nudging you forward in the plot, weaving elements of Japanese folklore, giving it an ethereal and magical feel that matches the strikingly beautiful world that it is set in, that may also feel somewhat recognizable to those familiar with Studio Ghibli's 'Princess Mononoke', and Capcom's 'Okami' video game.
The
artwork by Carita Lupatelli is wondrously illustrated, as seen in her
beautiful cover art for the series also, and full of details that the
comic panels demand without being over burdened, complimenting the
mystical, as well as the human elements of the story.
'Izuna' spans over four volumes, with the first two; 'Kamigakushi' and 'Yamibushi' following Aki as she grows up and has to deal with the initial threat of the Noggo, with the last two volumes; 'Namaenashi' and 'Wunjo', skipping forward in time and finishing off the threat. There are also intriguing subplots blended into the main story, keeping things interesting outside of the fantastical main story.
It's
an engaging read with good set of characters in a beautifully rendered
mystical world, and with the ending kind of left open, suggesting the
possiblities of future stories, it's a world that I'd like to return to. If you're a fan of the Studio Ghibli films, especially 'Princess Mononoke', then this is essential reading.
The first in this eight part series introduces Othon von Salza, the first Metabaron, on the planet of Marmola, and after a freak accident, how the revelation of epiphyte - a secret anti-gravity substance - becomes the catalyst for an all out war above the planet for the substance, and with the creation of the Metabaron.
As well as introducing Othon, Volume One also reveals the origins of the code of principles that runs through the Metabaron bloodline, their cybernetic implants, and why the only way to become the next Metabaron is for the son to defeat his own father in a mortal combat.
This is classic Jodorowsky. Weird, crazy, and at times intriguing, with a mix of violence, sex, a good dose of deus ex machina to speed up the narrative, paper thin characters, some dodgy sci-fi and the use of 'Paleo', 'Techno', 'Meca' etc as prefixes to make it sound futuristic can be a bit annoying at times. The art by Gimenez is the highlight of this series for me though. The space battles, violence, characters and more are beautifully rendered by his artwork. Nice big panels capture all the action in loving detail, and a lot of detail there is to admire!
It's not as engaging as 'The Incal' was, but there is still enough there to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next, and how the Metabaron legacy continues as they battle against forces corrupted by greed, power, and terror throughout the galaxy. If you're a fan of Jodorowsky or Gimenez, then this is essential reading.