By Leo
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849181662
It's not being going well for Kim. Stranded with a small group on a relatively hostile (to humans) planet, with a long, long trek back to base ahead and the crushing impact of the loss of her daughter behind her. However, Kim's not convinced all is lost and believes her daughter wasn't killed, but captured, and the answers lie on the neighbouring planet. Her struggle is all about getting on that flight out, but she's stuck so far away and not to mention in the hands of the religious fanatics back at base.
All Kim can hope for is to survive the journey back and hope she'll be included in the crew, but first they must tackle the bizarre evolutionary results of life in this harsh alien climate.
There are some absolutely cracking creature designs in this episode, from double-decked behemoths to blood-sucking slugs, and they all work because Leo respects biological diversity and applies the logic of natural selection. He also keeps the pace of the tale to one where people react naturally, so no overblown heroics and action sequences, but people desperately coping in their own time and to the best of their abilities, and that often means that they fail. It's a brutal, difficult world, but it's also a marvel to human eyes, and we all get to appreciate the spectacle.
A particular favourite was the Lascaux-style cave paintings that the group discover – a lovely touch and testament to the scale Leo works at, fleshing out a much broader and ultimately convincing environment and history within which he tells his narrative.
Events conclude with the perfect set up for the next story-arc, but that means not everything gets resolved here, so naturally you're left wanting more. An amazing achievement by one of the world's greatest comic visionaries – can't wait for the new series.
And if you liked that: There are plenty more books by Leo available via Cinebook
No comments yet.