▲ THIS SIDE UP ▲
Beautiful Darkness is the kind of comics we need more of. It not only has a sustained thematic subtext, but uses the images to convey information not present in the text. Too often we default to a double dip of narrative from text and image. As readers we're taught to treat the illustrations as secondary. This album, using the full power of the medium, elucidates a story that couldn't exist in another form. Highly recommended.
Episode two isn't as overstuffed as the first, but it manages to push the population of the universe ever outward.
Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers starts out roughly. If there is folly in its ambition, there is virtue also. The show's dedication to world-building sets it above the competition. Effort is made to establish a plausible universe with recurring races, planets, technology and conflicts. It rises above its premise of space western to become more of a space opera in the Star Trek vein, and it does it all in twenty-two minutes. Well, it tries.
The first episode features an African American character as its indisputable star. He travels to Africa which is presented with nuance and as the source of all power in the episode. J.D. ultimately uses his brain to save the day.
