Farscape: Vol 6: Compulsions (Boom! -DeCandido / O’Bannon / Sliney)

A conspiracy threatens the end of the Uncharted Territories and not one, but two Leviathan crews – the outlaws on Maya and a new crew of ex-Peacekeepers – team up to take on the conspiracy! And the result will certainly blow your mind! It’s the Farscape event you can’t miss, as series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon grabs “The War for the Uncharted Territories” and turns it up to eleven!

I’d only recently begun watching Farscape (I started season 2 a day before this review), so once I found out there was a comic, I was looking forward to checking out an issue to see how it would compare.  Overall, I was pretty pleased.  If I can jump into a series in the middle and not only understand what’s going on, but want to know the rest of the story before and after where I am, then I usually get hooked.  Compulsions did just that.  Focusing more on military matters of the Peacekeepers than the wacky adventures of Moya’s crew, it takes the series in a direction I have been hoping for while viewing the show.

I’ve always been a sucker for series that have a long running storyline, and I definitely want to know more about where this series is going.  The characters are much as I remember them from the show; Crichton’s liberally spouted Earth-isms continue to keep the conversations interesting, especially when imagined in Ben Browder’s voice.  My only issue with the book was the art.  Gigi Edgley’s portrayal of Chiana had certain “lizard-like” movements I enjoyed in the show that, sadly, are difficult to portray in illustrated fashion.  Pictures in the comic had people’s mouths caught in an awkward moment while they were talking, and faces showed harsh lines that made me think they were chiseled from rock.  I was pleased that I could recognize the characters from the show, and actions were well portrayed so that I always knew what each person was doing.

Anyone who enjoyed the show should also enjoy this series as well.  I know that once I’ve finished it, I’ll definitely be checking these books out.  People unfamiliar with the show should still enjoy the classic formula of the rag-tag team of individuals fighting against a powerful menace that so many sci-fi series seem to use.  Overall, I’d give Compulsions an 8/10.  Fans of the series should be all over these books like Dominar Rygel XVI on an unguarded treasure chest.

This is out this coming Weds!