
FantaCo Enterprises Inc. 2019
By Jim Whiting
Lettering, Layout & Production by Whiting Studio
When the ultimate weapon falls into the wrong hands, the only thing standing between it and universal annihilation is an alien trader and an Intergalactic Trash Collector with attitude! When not bickering with her mother, Margo runs trash for the IWM Corp. Utterly overqualified and severely underpaid, Margo may be the last hope for the universe.
So I saw this in Previews and I just had to check it out, I mean just on the title alone. Boy did this live up to my expectations and then some. Honestly since I have been reviewing comics my mind has expanded and what I find myself attracted to has grown, or at least my appreciation for what is outside my normal reading anyway. Jim has put together a quirky book with some tongue-in-cheek writing, dialogue and situations and has made something steps above traditional U.S. mindless humour and a few steps below British humour and it works on so many levels for me.
So I like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development here are great and as we see the story unfold and get a grasp on what's really happening and Margo's role in all this it continually takes different shapes and forms. The character development we see is sensational as we get this great look at Margo, her personality and the things that well shall we say motivate her. With the release of information, how we see the revelations and with all the twists and turns that we encounter within the pacing here creates a beautiful ebb & flow to the book.
The opening here is great, it grabs the readers' attention and makes them want to keep reading which is precisely what it's supposed to do. I am not going to lie that first image of Margo's ship reminds me of Space 1999 and I think I didn't need much more after that to love this book. Also the writing, okay well dialogue, that comes with with it made me laugh out loud. I couldn't stop chuckling and giggling because we all know what this is like and that it's instantly relatable to and we like her before we even see her is just that little added bonus.
The interiors here are very indie in how we see them, though to be honest it's like Giffen's current look only less messy. So it's fun and it fits the story and Jim gets away with it here, while simple and a little wonky at times it still has some of that attention to detail in what we see and the in the backgrounds that we always know where she is and what is going on. Actually I love the backgrounds that we see and how they are utilised to enhance the moments and bring this size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a really good, strong eye for storytelling. The colour work is nicely done as well. There are times when the colour is packed in solid and then the highlights and light sources we see utilise different hues and tones in the colour for the shading.
The way that Jim is telling this story really is great. If you are a fan of SyFy network and shows like Killjoys or Dark Matter then you are going to absolutely enjoy this series. I mean a woman who hates her job, that her mother got her, a boss who wants her to be disposable and the off-chance encounter leading her to be in possession of the one thing everyone wants. Well lady with an attitude a fella who's in the mood, a nagging mother and A.I. In a ship that well you'll have to read this to see and understand. But do read this it's a hell of a fun read and it's one that will surprise even the stodgiest among you.