Good science fiction can be rather scarce in the comic book market since just about everything in comics is Super Hero stuff. When I first heard about "Shrapnel" by Radical Comics, I was pretty excited since it just happens to be the type of comic I love. That rarely happens to me!
I'm happy to report the comic didn't disappoint me. It's not flawless but is very well executed over all.
The story line is intelligent and believable. It’s complex enough where I had to focus to grasp all the nuances of the main plot and sub-plots. With about 46 pages Shrapnel #1 is a rather long read.
In a nutshell, Venus is the last free colony left after Mars, Ganymede and others in the Solar System were gradually absorbed by the Alliance. Venus had hoped their neutrality would prevent them from being forced into the Alliance. But, alas, their time has come! Needless to say war breaks out between the Alliance and Venus. The Alliance’s military is comprised of well equipped battle hardened marines. While the Venus military is basically a militia comprised of volunteers.
Sub plots include conflicts between Helots and Genotypes (natural and genetically enhanced humans).
Then there's the heroine of the story, Sam, who is racked with guilt over the death of her sister, Ria.
The painted art is interesting high quality work. Over all the renderings are excellent with a few panels being spectacular. It's not a perfectly rendered throughout, however. I have to say there are few panels that are too dark which makes them difficult to resolve. I had a hard time resolving a few of the dark combat scenes which can get quite busy.
The whole comic views like a movie screen in a theater. I'm sure that was intentional since Radical Comics seems to be vying for its books to be made into movies.
This is a five part series. Book one has several alternate covers and is thick in pages with excellent art. For $1.99 you can't possibly go wrong. If you love Science Fiction like I do then this book is a must have.
JimCreek