Dreadnought: Invasion Six (TalcMedia Press – Roszko / Sanna)
It’s the distant future. Space travel is routine. Lord Commodore Ranor Broxton of the Space Cruiser Orius and Lady Alianna Broxton of the Planet Pirene garrison are spearheading an exploration to an uncharted nebula. They are keen to begin their mission – their first since they were married. Before Ranor can join her, invaders strike. Alianna’s remote outpost is the first to be decimated. Then, Ranor is forced to fight a battle where his own weapons turn against him. Then things get worse…
This is the most “science fiction” sci-fi comic I have read in a while. The technicality and detail to the physical science / military specs here are reminiscent or reading Phillip K. Dick, WIlliam Gibson or Tom Clancy (I hope the author doesn’t minds those comparisons).
This is not your normal stereotypical “space invasion” story, Richard F. Roszko weaves an in-depth tale of a civilization that is being woken up out of it’s political coma. While I was drawn to the plot, what stood out to me was his eye for details in every interaction… whether it’s the nuance of a military interaction between two subordinates or how different fighters would look and feel or the integration of technology into the daily lives of these people. If you are a fan of hardcore science-fiction and love the minutia, this series is one you should pick up.
Now, what makes this series great for the hardcore fan is exactly what will be held against it by some other “sci-fi” fans. Some readers are looking for the big battle, the warm feeling and don’t want the details. If you are looking for unexplained phenomena, giant space monsters, mystical forces or techno-magic (and I can honestly say I do enjoy all those things and know that there are great stories that involve those ideas), this is not that sort of “Harry Potter defeats aliens with a light saber” type plot.
I got to read the first three issue of this four issue series and the only thing that didn’t strike me as stellar was that the story that the artist was telling and the story that I was getting from the dialog / plot details seemed to be off… just slightly. It wasn’t distracting, but it just didn’t seem to be integrated at a holistic level.
Overall… a great read!
Grade: A
