Earth sucks. Steal a spaceship.
Earth sucks. The stars have been blocked out for so long that people have forgotten there was anything else besides the World Government Alliance watching over them. When Uma Akkolyte jacks an alien spaceship and punches through the stratosphere she sets forth on an adventure with an unlikely crew who are totally not ready for all the good, bad, and weird the universe will throw at them.* * * *
4 / 5
Joyous and beautiful, Joyride #1 is an excellent start to a comic series. Uma Akkolyte, fed up with her life on a tyrannically ruled Earth that has forbidden interstellar travel, steals an alien spaceship and sets out to explore the stars with her friend Dewydd, a robot, an alien they pick up on a nearby planet, and a surprise guest in the form of the Princess of Earth, Caitlin. I absolutely loved the crew and their dynamics.
The art here is beautiful. The pages are clearly panelled and flow beautifully, it's always clear where your eyes are supposed to go next. This comic is entirely in colour and I personally loved the style; all the characters are distinct and easy to tell apart, the backgrounds are great, and I love Uma's hair!
The idea behind Joyride is a classic one and it has all the staples of a traditional sci-fi story: spaceships, aliens, dictators, high-speed chases, rebellious teens. I found the story fun, but also thought it lacked a bit of direction; hopefully in the next volume an overall arc will emerge and Joyride will become a little less directionless.
The characters are fun, but also quite archetypal: Uma is a cheery, happy-go-lucky sort, but also fiesty with a tragic past and a rebellious streak. Dewydd is the childhood friend and I think he was some sort of mechanic or soldier in an Earth army, it's not really clear, but he's running away from his family. Caitlin is the whole priviliged child who grew sick of her caged youth. Whilst Uma was a bit annoying at points, I grew fond of her and the rest of the cast.
Overall, Joyride is a fun little comic with solid art and dialogue. It's got a sort of Star Trek vibe going on.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the artists for a copy of this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment