Looking For a Good Book

400+ years in the future humans have split in two primary factions – those who have adapted for space travel using cybernetic augments to the body, and those who used genetic manipulation to have the body adapt to the devasting climate change.

There’s a virus that’s decimating the earth-bound humans and despite the advancements in technology, they can’t find the missing element to create a  cure. Extinction may be the result. They need more humans and human DNA that is not infected and they need the space-bound humans to return to earth but the two factions are not friendly to each other.

I’ve read some pretty exciting sci-fi graphic novels recently and I was looking forward to this – the concept is fantastic and the cover promises some stunning comic art. And both of these things hold true through the book.

I like when the stakes are high, creating a conflict that really means something. The possible eradication of an entire species means something. Story-wise, very strong.

The art is definitely impressive. How fantastic it is to find a creator who thinks creatively! Some of these humans are not even recognizable as being human. There’s an absolute wildness, a real sense of future, in the art.

And yet, despite having the two things I was looking for, I didn’t enjoy the book.

The story rambled a bit too much for me (I think this is sometimes because this is a result of combining four issues of a comic series, rather than a being created specifically in a graphic novel format. this means we need to catch the reader up with each ‘issue’.

And the art … creative yes, but I honestly had trouble remembering who all the characters were. Some of them just looked too similar. The story moved slowly and when I had to flip backward to figure out who the characters was, I couldn’t get into the action of the book.

And here’s the weirdest thing … who notices ‘colors’ when looking at a graphic novel? Hardly anybody, except for those colorits who are out there fighting for attention. But you wouldn’t want to be noticed here. This story is hard and harsh. Two factions may choose to fight rather than work together. There’s space travel and a worsening climate.

So why would you want to use pastel colors in your book? Soft blues and reds fill this book which really clashes with the harshness of the story. It doesn’t really complement the work at all.

Looking for a good book? The graphic novel, Remote Space, by Cliff Rathburn, has a wonderful concept and good art, but the total package is lacking.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Remote Space

author: Cliff Rathburn

artist: Cliff Rathburn

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1534326448

paperback, 130 pages