Sci-fi comedy is hard. It may have something to do with the fact that sci-fi relies on the suspension of disbelief, while comedy relies on the exploitation of disbelief. Or it may be that comedy needs some level of familiarity for the audience to relate to while sci-fi is based on pushing the familiar into unknown vistas. Whatever the cognitive reason, it always seems to be the twist on the everyday charachter sci-fi comedy that's successful (eg. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Red Dwarf) rather than the spoofy overly self-conscience sc-fi (eg. The Road to Mars or Space Balls). It is into the first camp (the successful camp) that the new graphic novelWarlord of Io falls.
The premise of the graphic novel Warlord of Io—written and drawn by James Turner—is rather simple: It's the story of a slacker kid—Zing—who wants what every slacker kid wants—to have his own band—but is suddenly elevated to emperor of Jupiter's moon Io by his father who is retiring to a pleasure moon (did I mention that the slacker kid is also the prince and heir to the throne of the Jovian moon Io?) but Zing is almost immediately deposed by the military who want him dead to solidify their hold on power. Ok, maybe the story not that simple, but where this story works is by combing recognizable character types in bizarre situations coupled with a cracker-jack narrative style that makes full use of the sequential story telling strengths of the comic medium. Translation: it's a really funny funny book.
As the story unfolds and Zing flees across the Jovian system looking for a safe port, Turner takes us into a richly realized sic-fi universe that is at once strange and bizarre yet somehow compellingly familiar and plausible. This mood is fully supported by the exact nature of the vector based art style. Although most comics use computers at some stage of the creation process, Turner is using it as his drawing tool, not trying to simulate hand drawn images, but instead creating precise and angular art that's a treat to view and explore. Turner is able to develop this style into retro sci-fi (think early 1950's) with a twist of art deco thrown in for good measure.
The one downside I found to this book was that it felt like there was a lot more story to tell. Without giving away TOO much about the conclusion, it certainly felt over far too quickly, given the lengthy set up. The story line really didn't have to be wrapped up so quickly in the last few pages. I could have easily seen this as the first part of a multi-book epic, where Zing explores the colorful worlds (moons) Turner only has time to hint at in the story, while on the run from the military dictatorship that needs him dead. Unfortunantely, the ending closes off this possibility and trying to revive that atmosphere in a sequel would likely only feel contrived.
If you are looking for a good, quick read for a plane, train or bus ride, Warlord of Io will not disappoint.
*Disclosure: *James Turner sent a review copy of Warlord of IO to GeekDad.
