Boom Studios 2017
Based on the Books by James S.A. Corey
Story by James S.A. Corey, Hallie Lambert & Georgia Lee
Written by Georgia Lee
Illustrated by Huang Danlan
Coloured by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Jim Campbell
The story of THE EXPANSE unfolds across a colonized solar system 200 years in the future. The crew of The Rocinante finds themselves at the center of an interplanetary conflict that threatens to destroy all of human civilization. But before our team were heroes, and before there was The Rocinante, our crew were just a bunch of ice-haulers on a third-rate ice trawler called The Canterbury. And these are the stories of the winding roads that led to The Cant….
I have yet to see the Expanse and I have as of yet not read any of the books but these origin issues of the crew does make me want to. It’s nice to know that a series like this can be such a compliment to the other mediums it occupies. Granted I haven’t tried them yet but already I have the distinct feeling that these are those introductions that give you the base of what the characters we see are going to be like. Heck for me it’s one of those vehicles that will set about the search for the others so I can become more immersed in this world.
There’s something about Naomi that a lot of us can relate to. The feeling that you just want to be left alone in the universe, do your thing and cope with whatever the past has that has you wanting to be lost and alone but not dead. I’m pretty sure at some point in time in all of our lives we’ve felt the feeling of wanting to be left alone to do your thing and just exist, even if that’s been fleeting it’s still something we all have in common. I do like the way we see that here and in how we begin to see her start to change all because of one person. Sometimes that’s all it takes is one person to touch us in ways we thought we could no longer feel to change the course of our lives.
I like the interiors here they have this stark representation that goes well with how Naomi feels. There’s some great attention to detail here as well in the characters, faces, facial expressions and in one scene in particular when they are outside the ship. The use of page layouts with their angles, perspective and limited use of backgrounds really are able to capture the tone, mood and feel of what the story is trying to convey.
I think this is how many series should start off. Take the characters put them into their past show us moments that helped define who they are and become and then introduce us after the cast is finished. It’s smart, never been done before and with the level of writing and characterisation on display here is a no-brainer for garnering that interest to keep people coming back. Personally I want to now see what she’s like in the present and this one story helped shape her and take her from that dark place to a lighter one.
A bold, daring and completely compelling way to introduce first timers to the franchise.