ARKby Leesa HanaganReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 After 13 years of space travel, now far past the orbit of Pluto, the crew of the spaceship Explorer has been mysteriously cut off from communication with Earth. In light of Earth's sudden silence, something about Explorer's mission—to find and colonize an Earth-like planet -- doesn’t ring true anymore. The crew is restless, and amid the turmoil, one of the meta-humans on board discovers a secret, final message from Earth that reveals shocking news. A crew member disappears, and shipwide paranoia ensues -- will the Explorer crew band together or turn on themselves? And what is the true nature of their mission?Explorer, a spaceship sent from Earth, has been traveling for 13 years and is now beyond Pluto's orbit, ostensibly to look for a habitable place to live. The crew is human; the passengers are meta-human -- a hybrid of humans and animals/plants. They lose communication with Earth, so the captain decides that the best thing to do is continue with their exploration, but that the meta-humans need to join the crew. There is a lot of anxiety about the lost communication, new roles, and what the future holds, so with that, tensions rise. One of these meta-humans, an ape / human hybrid named Gerry, is tasked with solving the communications problem, and he discovers a secret message. The fallout from this message leads to distrust and murder. This is a well-crafted story about how people behave in crisis. Some people fear change and / or fear those that aren't like them, and this increases tension. Some people want to embrace the differences and use those differences to create a harmonious whole. This isn't just a fable about race relations; it's also about class/social relations, such as when the formerly privileged class -- the passengers -- now need to become working class. And some of the humans that were always working class resent both the privilege and the meta that comes with these different people. Overall the story and the art work very well together. Bayliss conveys good human posture and emotions in his work. I liked the variety in skin tones, body sizes, and unique characteristics. The environment was detailed when it needed to be, spare at times the background wasn't important. He drew the people with charming, believable gestures. Bayliss is even able to convey a connection between two people in a crowded room, and I was touched by this very real moment. Something that I couldn't get past, however, was how every adult female character had their breasts straining against the fabric of whatever they were wearing, be it casual clothes or their uniforms. Also, there's a disturbing amount of camel-toe that leads me to believe these poor women don't have access to properly fitting uniforms. That aside, this is an engaging story with lively art. I hope there's more to read in this universe! Written: April 21, 2013
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