Bed...Bath....and Beyond the Beyond?
Whenever I hear anyone use the word beyond, my mind immediately flies to one of the few scenes from Family Guy which is thoroughly burned into my memory:
So, when I opened my email and saw the titles of some of this week's Scout Comics solicits and books for review, both the title and this scene immediately popped into my head.
Beyond the Beyond #1(Scout)
By: Christian Tropeano and Gian Fernando
In Shops Tomorrow!
Scout offers the following description of the book in its solicitation:
Nova Vega is a teenage idealist who resides on a mining colony run by the oppressive Omni corporation. Nova is disenchanted by her prospects of entering the Omni Mining Academy, for she'd much rather be out exploring the stars like her parents before her. We are also introduced to Sirius Vega, Nova's older brother and guardian, who picks her up after she's thrown out of class for insubordination. When an argument between the siblings goes too far, Nova enacts her long awaited plan to escape the mining colony and explore the alien world from where her parents never returned.
The book opens with a scene reminiscent of the RLS Legacy fleeing Treasure Planet. When all of a sudden amidst a lovely romantic moment being destroyed as HAL 9000 (seriously, look at that thing over her shoulder on the cover) blows up the ship. We immediately are transported 10 years into the future.
That future introduces us to a rebellious Nova and a loyal Sirius where there is a small battle over whether or not there should be blind loyalty paid to OMNI (the clearly benevolent corporation that can do no evil and "may" be "brainwashing" students headed into the direction of the mining academy) or if they should follow in the path of their parents who were the ones lost to the vast expanses of space in the opening pages.
Late in the night we see a firmly resolute Nova attempt to collect anything she needs to survive in space in addition to her mother's first explorer suit to see if she can find the one thing she believes has been lurking in a nearby black hole...what does she discover? We'll have to wait until June to find out.
Who Should Pull This Book?
I honestly feel comfortable recommending this book to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi stories. While this book may play on common themes (like a probably evil space corporation....) I feel like Tropeano does a solid job establishing his footing in this universe. We are quickly pushed to feel for the loss of the siblings and honestly understand the positions both Nova and Sirius have taken in the 10 years since the passing of their parents. I believe Scout noted that this is Tropeano's inaugural book, and the storytelling and the premise both fill me with a feeling that this series will deliver.
What makes this book something you shouldn't pass on is the art. Fernando absolutely delivers a perfect representation of science fiction. The art (especially the space elements are STUNNING! Especially the last page. I would put it on par with what Simone Di Meo is doing in We Only Find Them When They're Dead (which is one of my favorite books from an art perspective). Both the internal and external scenescapes are created in a way which makes me THIRSTY to read this book in print instead of a pdf.
Nonetheless, if you see this book in your shops tomorrow, I say with unwavering confidence if you pick this up, you will not be disappointed!
The only downside to this book is that you'll have to wait until JUNE to pick up issue #2 because of Scout's 3-month delay for reorders etc. before they release a second issue, but I think it will be worth the painful wait.