What's to Love: Surviving against all odds. Adventures on the frontier. Lying on the cusp of discovering something new. Rick Loverd (Berserker) and artist Huang Danlan brought us a story that evokes the history of great adventurers from the pilgrims to the Western pioneers, from deep-sea explorers to polar trailblazers, all of whom searched for a new beginning.
What It Is: In 2150, Earth's resources are depleted, and countries race to outer space to mine what they need from other planets. China has laid claim to Mars, so the U.S. and its allies have to make do with getting what it needs from the inhospitable world of Venus. But more
There's been a lot of space exploration stories this year both from large publishers, small publisher and independent creators. Some have stood out, while others have been forgotten. So far, Venus looks to be a keeper. It would be really difficult for the second issue to be bad given where this issue ends, but we'll see for sure. If anything, this was an enjoyable first issue that has caught my attention and kept me entertained. Read Full Review
Venus feels more concerned about the mission itself rather than the people entrenched in it. Without that human element, the mission feels mechanical and sterile. We care more about the success of the mission because of its impact on the United States' government, not because we necessarily want to see the crew of the Mayflower survive. That's where Loverd fails to fully build his momentum. We see one thing after another happen, but we don't get the opportunity see Manashe and the other characters more in-depth, we don't get to see their reason why. Without knowing more about the crew, it's hard to fully engage with the characters and what ultimately holds Venus #1 back from its full potential. Read Full Review
Don't get me wrong here. Like I said, the premise is great. And I liked this first issue well enough. Read my full review here. Read Full Review
Venus #1 admirably tries to accomplish a lot in a first issue, but it almost feels like the book concentrates on the wrong things. The title character, the planet itself, gets short shrift in favor of the rest of the cast and apparently extraneous details on the ship that's gone for good two thirds of the way in. Of course the people of the story need to be developed, but a book called Venus, written by a science guy, almost implicitly promises that will come after we first get a good look at the awesome and terrible place that real humans may never be able to visit. It's a little disappointing the creative team chose to do something more "standard" instead, but there are still three issues to go, so there's still a chance for Venus to meet its unique opportunity and not become Indie Sci-Fi Disaster Book #38. Read Full Review
This first issue is a great start to the series. The Captain makes for such a outstanding character. Read Full Review
While I wasn't a particular fan of the story presented, I have to praise Huang Danlan's art and Marcio Menyz's color work. They do a fantastic job of establishing a the bleak and gruesome nature of the adventure that lays ahead for our heroes. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be joining them on that adventure, but maybe you should if you've absolutely got a craving for a harrowing story of space survival. Read Full Review
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