Vault Comics 2019
Written by Tim Seeley & Sarah Beattie
Illustrate by Rebekah Isaacs
Coloured by Kurt Michael Russell
Lettered by Crank!
The intrepid XXX-plorers are held prisoner by a Warlord on the planet Dry Reef! Can this crew of lovers-not-fighters survive the arena long enough to find their prize—a love guru whose orgasms are powerful enough to split the atom?
I keep getting surprised that this is Vault and I have no idea why. Doesn't really make a difference as it continues to prove my theory that Vault is one of the strongest company's making comic books right now. I have come to the conclusion that this book is more sex-positive than it is XXX and I think that description is incredibly on point after reading the events of this issue. I love the idea behind this book and that intro page that describes the state of the world and why Chris decided to go about things the way she did. On the surface it's kind of mmhmm okay then you look deeper and things aren't as cut and dried as just lets shag the galaxy.
Okay so I think I love this planet and the way the species here have been able to evolve from a water based planet into a desert one while still maintaining much of the species original look. That we are starting off with equal parts terror and sex-positive moments well it all seems to balance each other nicely. This kind of dual story line going on at the same time, present and past, giving us the kind of background for the characters is exceptionally well done. Sometimes this whole then and now can feel contrived as if the writer doesn't know how to get certain things across but it feels right and interjects at just the moment where you turn the page and go “WTF” expecting to see a continuation. So yeah I applaud it's use for a myriad of reasons.
I like how we see the story & plot development with the way we see the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information. The character development is sensational and this s where the way that the “then and now” arcs really come into play so effectively. Showing us their base personality and then watching that all go out the window when they are in space. Oh and that little class exercise yeah that went a long way. With the pacing added into the mix we see how the twists and turns affect the ebb & flow of the story and make it feel like an exciting journey.
Rebekah and Kurt's work on the interiors here is bloody effin brilliant if ya ask me. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights being utilised to bring us this level of attention to detail makes my heart sing. Plus the imagination and creativity in taking aquatic species and turning them into air breathing, surface dwelling versions and still maintaining species uniqueness is mindbogglingly rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show an extremely talented eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are being utilised pretty effectively I just wish we'd see more of them, that scene with Chris and Omar in the lab we got teased with the backgrounds then they'd be gone so a little most consistency would be nice. The colour work is gorgeous and I like the way we see the shading and shadow work here. The hues and tones of colour choices we see really is marvellous and much appreciated.
Part of me thinks this is what Star Trek could've been if they'd all have lightened up with the sexual freedoms and not just Kirk got to shag everyone. With the addition of some real science facts being applied here, accurately too I might add, so that we see and learn new things it improves the story vastly in my eyes. This might have gotten some notoriety from it's sex-positive image but the story itself is rock solid, interesting and extremely well told.