Titan Comics 2018
Written by Joe Haldeman
Illustrated by Marvano
with Gay Haldeman
I like that this one is a sequel to a story that we’ve already seen that was actually an extremely nice introduction to what the Haldeman’s do. Also no surprise here but this is a new reader friendly book. Thanks to the way this is written and how we are introduced to the main character Captain Marygay Potter, through a quite a nice narration on everything that has been leading up this story. I am going to say one thing, why is when Heterosexual relationships are the anomaly why is it we see only a woman and her lover, whom she took after the man she loves went off on another ship? Yes it’s her story but in all honesty I am not happy that we don’t with any of the men around what we see with Gay and Cat.
As for the story itself I really like the concept behind all this. Using a wormhole to create technology so ships can travel fast distances is great that those who use it however remain young as they enter out the other side anywhere from 5 to 5000 years after they left is the twist. As Marygay’s story unfolds before us we learn about her, her life and the situation she finds herself in. The way that this book is structured is very well done and I like the whole ebb & flow that we see and feel here. In the allotted space which granted is more like two and half issues of a normal book it’s got the perfect way about it to tell an entire tale in one issue.
While the first part of the book is about Marygay and her life and her explanation of their situation the second half of the book is about her encounter with the enemy and the finale well that will lead us into the next issue. So yes I am very much enjoying how the story is told, where it leads and how the wormhole space travel can effect how things are perceived. After all if someone is travelling that far into the future to end up on the other side what’s been drilled into you may not exactly be what the reality of the situation currently is.
In my opening I talked about how I felt about the homosexuality being centred on women and I meant every word of being disappointed by this common view that it’s more fun to watch two women than men in the straight world but hey the nudity and yes the sex that we see at least is tastefully done and is done to kind of hammer home Marygay’s version that she may be a heterosexual anomaly but she can just as well fit in with the current adaptation of what is considered societal normality. I do wish this had been explored more and differently but that is solely my opinion.
Marvano does a marvellous job with the interior artwork. His utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective showcase a very good, solid eye for storytelling. Also I like the way he renders the bodies, there is no embellishment or that muscular build we normally see in comics, this is real life anatomy and it’s glorious. Though Angela Garcia looks more than a tad wonky still she certainly leaves an impression. Also the creativity and imagination on display is interesting and delightful.
The world of science fiction is vast and takes many different directions and for me this one feels pretty darn classic. I like that it doesn’t remove itself in variation from what some of genre’s pioneers did in their work and it reminds me that sometimes a good story doesn’t need gimmicks it just needs an audience.