In some ways it's pleasure to read a science fiction comic (albeit a decade-old one) that attempts both optimism and realism. In Planetes, set sixty or so years from now, space is a growth industry, and international crews of full-time astronauts spend most of their working lives off-Earth, maintaining a moonbase and planning to go out further. But to build mankind's future in space, we're going to have to clear a lot of shit out of the way first, and Makoto Yukimura's protagonists here have the least glamorous of jobs: disposing of near space debris to make it safer for everyone else. Naturally, our young hero dreams of more, and therein lies Planetes' tale.
Planetes is the manga that made Yukimura's rep (overseas at least) before he began work on the terrific Vinland Saga. The two series could hardly be more different - Vinland is ultra-violent and its protagonist obsessive to the point of amorality; whereas Planetes is far kindlier and more sedate, with a focus on co-operation and problem-solving. The gift for facial nuance and the deft, clear line that makes Vinland such a visual pleasure are here though, a little less developed, but Planetes is still a smooth read, committed to exploring its characters and giving them room to develop. In this first volume, at least, that makes for an experience that's engaging without ever quite hitting exciting. But I suppose that's part of the point: if we ever do get further into space, we'll have to bring the ordinary with us.