Wasted in Space #1
Writing: Michael Moreci
Art: Hayden Sherman
Colors: Jason Wordie
Letters: Jim Campbell
Cover A art: Marguerite Sauvage
Published by: Vault Comics
Available: April 18, 2018 order now!
Billy has screwed up and wants to live his life as a hermit. He’s got his ship and his BFF/Fuq Bot Dust, and he’s content to just hide from life. You see, Billy was the Prophet of the Creator. He got people to believe in his message, and it turned out the message may not have been the right one. What do you do when you destroy the universe? You think about what you’ve done until it drives you crazy, you self-medicate with your drugs of choice, and you try to ignore the Creator when it speaks. Oh, and avoid the bounty hunters. Apparently you’re worth a lot.
Billy’s world is a place where sentient robots and other creatures live together, and where the Creator’s voice is still in his head. Moreci builds a world that’s kind of like Canasta – easy to learn, but a lifetime to master. He takes televangelism, Bender, Heinlein, and Babylon 5, puts them in a big drink shaker until well-mixed. It’s fantastic. This is the way a first issue should be written, a quick background so that we can take the characters’ measure, an adventure with some action, and a promise of a purpose that starts with staying alive. Oh, and the moments with the other Prophet totally gave me a Gatekeeper-Keymaster vibe, only no…. well, you know. It’s still the first issue.
Hayden Sherman gives us an almost retro-feel to the art, like Ted McKeever spit on his pen before it hit the page. These people are a pretty shifty bunch, and the art reflects this in sketchy lines and Wordie’s muted colors. Space comes out looking pure, but anything to do with people is as bright and dark and messy and real as people can be.
I got this preview copy on a whim, but you can bet I’ll be collecting the issues as they come out. I haven’t been this excited about a sci-fi story in a few years. Thanks for reminding me how much I like the genre. You still have time to get it on order from your local comic store, so do that today!
