Artist: Andy Belanger
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
As I find myself increasingly frustrated by seemingly endless reboots, relaunches, and talks of “Rebirth” at DC Comics and Marvel Comics, I find myself more willing to read more independent titles.
But we’re not here to discuss why I usually avoid independent comics.
Becky Cloonan, whose work on DC’s Gotham Academy is one of the two bright spots for me in the periphery of Batman’s world (the other is Grayson, if you must know), and Andy Belanger, along with the moody colors of Lee Loughridge, have created a mystery that is both straightforward -- who killed Alex Braith's sister? -- and psychological -- what exactly are we dealing with here? -- without sacrificing one for the other.
The publisher describes the book in this way: Now boarding: Southern Cross, tanker flight 73 to Titan. Alex Braith is tracing her sister's steps to the refinery moon, hoping to collect her remains and find some answers. The questions keep coming though―and they lead her down a path of intrigue, betrayal, and galactic horror.
I found it interesting to follow Alex Braith as she interacts with the crew and passengers of the Southern Cross. Captain Mori Tetsuya appears to be willing to help Alex while first mate Zia St. Martin does the opposite. Then there's Doctor Lon Wells, Achilles, and the guy in the stateroom across from Alex's, Kyril. The one person on board the tanker who could probably help Alex most -- Erin McKenna -- disappears, leaving the file on Alex's sister Amber behind. Alex definitely finds more reason to be suspicious the longer she is on board the tanker.
Cloonan's story is engaging. Like hard-boiled detective fiction, it is both terse and revealing. Every conversation, every view through Alex's eyes is important. Belanger's art captures the almost claustrophobic atmosphere of being confined in a limited space regardless of how big that space is. And I'm clearly campaigning for president of the Lee Loughridge Fan Club as the more I see of his work the more impressed I am. I like what I've seen of Loughridge's coloring over art by Sonny Liew and Ibrahim Moustafa in DC's Doctor Fate series, and his work on Southern Cross just adds to my appreciation.
I'm not an artist in any sense of the word. I can't make a stick figure look the same twice and, while I can color within the lines, my coloring ability is pretty much limited to the Crayola eight-pack. Considering that the easy choice for coloring space scenes would be fields of black with pinpoints of white light, I am amazed at how much effort was put into making outer space look different from what we typically see. Belanger and Loughridge are great together.
This volume ends with a cliffhanger that whets my appetite for find out what happens next. I can't wait.
Rating: 5 Stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Image Comics (through NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
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