Souled #1 (Cosmic Times – Faulkner / Bassett / Whynot)

Set against the backdrop of intergalactic corporate manipulation, Souled follows the crew and passengers of the space-freighter Another Man’s Trash as they uncover a mystery on the edge of the universe that transcends even the barriers of life and death.

Souled is one of the first books out from up-and-comer indie press Cosmic Times.  This first issue was almost perfectly paced and at it’s core is nothing short of some really well done characters that come to life on a classic science fiction scaffolding.

Issue #1 is now available for pre-order and a Souled special is coming out for Free Comic Book Day and is available for download right now from the CT site.

Author Christopher Faulkner impressed me with how he set the stage of this series and universe without falling victim to all of the normal “origin issue” faults that tend to make me put down an indie issue #1 – poor pacing and either enigmatic details that are confusing (and worse yet, cause me not to care) or the opposite and have too many details supporting the same idea so many time that I get glassy eyed and started just glancing over pages rather than reading.  Falkner introduces the main players in a well thought-out sequence that allows us to meet all the characters, get some main emotions for them, see them interact with each other and then throw them into a major plot device, that is what I assume will be the main motion of the story of the series.  The set-up and execution of  this first issue really makes me want to seek out Faulkner’s other work to see what I have been missing.

In all honesty, it was smart and edgy and read just like the opening for a Joss Weadon television pilot.

The art for Souled is more of what I see regularly from indie presses – some frames that are very impressive and some that seemed rather rushed.  I am not standing in judgment – the art team does better than most, there certainly is more promise here than broken lines – the framing of the pages is done superbly and the “large picture” scenes and “background – setting” frames are done with excellence.  It’s just some more work could be done with the facial close-ups and when we have very detailed “close” shots.

The Bottom Line: Classic Old School Fun that will put a smile on any sci-fi fan!

Grade: B and I can’t wait for more!