Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Space Mullet

Rate this book
Perfect for fans of Firefly and Cowboy Bebop, SPACE-MULLET is a sci-fi romp about a ragtag crew of misfits doing everything they can to get by in space.
SPACE-MULLET is an episodic comic about a washed-up, Ex-Space Marine trucker named Jonah and his alien co-pilot, Alphius. Together, they do their best (and usually fail) to do good throughout the galaxy.

Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2016

13 people are currently reading
276 people want to read

About the author

Daniel Warren Johnson

166 books413 followers
Daniel Warren Johnson is a Chicago-based comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. He's worked on titles for most major publishers, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image. His current series with Skybound/Image Comics is EXTREMITY, a sci-fi/fantasy title he is writing and drawing, and continues to update his webcomic Space-Mullet in his spare time.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
128 (26%)
4 stars
221 (46%)
3 stars
108 (22%)
2 stars
17 (3%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Profile Image for MagretFume.
296 reviews367 followers
April 30, 2024
Thank you Image Comics and Netgalley for this ARC.

SPACE MULLET promises Firefly and Cowboy Bebop vibes, and delivers.
There is space, different planets, a not so shiny spaceship and your ragtag crew of misfits doing good as they go along.

The art and story are good, and the characters are charming.
I had a great time.
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,440 reviews286 followers
September 1, 2023
Having enjoyed Do a Powerbomb I'm making my way through some of Daniel Warren Johnson's older works for any gems I might have missed. This one's just an old rock though.

Jonah is a space trucker, running his cargo ship with the alien Alphius.

In the first half of the book we find out about Jonah's part in a civilian massacre when he was a space Marine and how that comes back to bite him on the butt. The second half of the book sees Alphius injured as part of the fallout and Jonah desperate to get him medical assistance. They end up in New Mars City, where aliens are treated as second-class citizens whose insurance is denied, and Jonah's only hope to get enough money for medical treatment is to gamble his spaceship on a roller derby championship.

The story meanders as it explores the lives of the denizens of New Mars City: doctors, nurses, skaters, bookies, unhoused aliens. The outcome is a dumb waste of those characters and our time spent with them, with Jonah and Alphius resuming the status quo but . . . sadder.

This volume collects four chapters of Johnson's webcomic from http://www.space-mullet.com/. There are four more chapters available online, but I guess plans for a second print collection fell through as Vol. 2 hasn't materialized in the last seven years. I'm not sure I care enough to read the rest of the story online, but I may wander there someday.
Profile Image for Mohan Vemulapalli.
1,161 reviews
May 17, 2024
"Space-Mullet: One Gamble at a Time " is the the unrepentantly high octane, dysfunctional loser-buddy Space Opera romp about found family and second chances that you did not know was missing from your life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Image Comics, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Philips_comics.
31 reviews5 followers
February 5, 2025
3.75

As someone who has become a big fan of Daniel Warren Johnson’s more recent work, I couldn't resist going back to explore his earlier creations. Image Comics' reprint of Space Mullet made it easy for me to dive into this intriguing science fiction drama. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the journey, there’s no denying that Johnson's craft was still in its infancy here, with plenty of room for growth that would later become evident in his later works.
Space Mullet immediately brought to mind Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, especially with the character Jonah—who feels like a space-faring version of Star-Lord—and Alphius, a character that seems like a mash-up of Groot and Rocket Raccoon. There is another character, Peggy Sue, even sporting robotic limbs like Nebula. The dynamic between the two main protagonists made for an entertaining read and clearly showcased Johnson’s love for oddball space adventures.
One of the most interesting aspects of this volume is its structure. The first four issues provide a clear start, middle, and end to the overarching story. However, the fifth and final issue veers in a very unexpected direction. It serves as a bizarre one-shot about a maggot from a dirty dishwasher, which, while intriguing, feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the narrative.
While the artwork is undoubtedly a highlight of Space Mullet, it’s also clear that Johnson’s visual style hadn’t quite reached the level of polish he would later achieve. The raw energy of his work is evident, but Mike Spicer’s color work would have undoubtedly elevated the overall feel of the book, giving it that extra layer of depth and vibrancy.
In the end, Space Mullet is an enjoyable, quirky, and at times, surreal space adventure. It’s clear that Johnson was still finding his footing here, but the seeds of his distinct style and storytelling talent were already being sown. If you're a fan of his later work, this is a fascinating look at how his journey began.
Profile Image for Václav.
1,136 reviews44 followers
May 16, 2019
At first, I was repelled by the simple crude art. I eventually get used to it, especially in action scenes, which DWJ draws very well, you can feel the dynamic of the action, the rush. The story is awesome - ex marine befriends alien and together they haul cargo across space. But as always, past will catch up on you or you eventually will come to it. The world build here is rich, lively and very natural, the characters (from main ones to the last grunt) are "plastic" and believable. Even if the end of this book was quite good and satisfying, it felt very much like continuing onward to the next book. And it kinda is. Because Space Mullet is webcomics with 8 chapters (last page dated on January 2017, so I guess that's the end of it) and this book is only the first 4 chapters of it. But there is no second book, so you must go to the webcomics to get some more. And you must, because of DWJ created a great, thrilling story.
Profile Image for Lucía Cafeína.
2,047 reviews221 followers
August 10, 2025
No ha resultado demasiado de mi estilo; muy violento y un tanto caótico, sin un objetivo claro, aunque los personajes tienen mucho potencial.
Profile Image for 47Time.
3,484 reviews95 followers
February 18, 2020
While the story isn't as clear-cut as you would expect, the author really fleshed out this universe. It's alive with different species, humans living on faraway colonies, armed conflicts based on race and politics. It even has time to feature companionship, friendship and love. What starts as a bounty hunt ends in the desperate struggle to save a friend's life. At the end of the day, the characters just want to live their lives, but this harsh world won't make it easy for them.

Jonah went into the trucking business after being dishonorably discharged from the army. Now his old friend Geoffrey gives him the opportunity to clear his name by recovering incriminating videos from a blackmailer. The videos can trigger a conflict between Earth and the colonies. Jonah agrees to do it, though it upsets his trustworthy companion - and skilled cook - the Zozobian Alphius who never learned what happened to Jonah in the army. What follows it a trip through the galaxy that will affect several lives. Some will win, some will lose, some will die. They will never be the same again, but the universe will go on.

Profile Image for Matt Quann.
830 reviews455 followers
July 4, 2025
Before continuing on with Daniel Warren Johnson’s more recent comics, I thought it would be fun to go back where it all started. His art here isn’t quite the bombastic fun of Do a Powerbomb, but you can see the pathway that takes him from Space Mullet to his more recent output.

Similarly, the story takes a familiar trope—the motley space crew— and does new and exciting things with it. This feels like a reflection on the War on Terror that isn’t heavy handed and is very human (even when it’s characters are not).

My only complaint: this feels like the first arc of a larger series. I’d read it if DWJ goes at it!
Profile Image for Lukasz.
1,849 reviews481 followers
May 1, 2024
Usually fun, rarely dragging, but not fully cohesive. Not surprising since it's a collected edition of a web-series.
Profile Image for Ignacio.
1,463 reviews308 followers
November 12, 2025
Me ha sorprendido gratamente este Warren Johnson iniciático. A ver, el guión es muy imberbe y el dibujo se nota verde al principio. Pero mejora a pasos agigantados y pronto muestra su talento narrativo, sobre todo para una acción en el que en la segunda mitad del tebeo hay viñetas que son ya antológicas, caso de una doble splash page del penúltimo capítulo que es para quedársela mirando diez minutos. Además mola darse de bruces con referencias como la importancia del manga (Appleseed, Alita) o la cf de los 70 y los 80 (Rollerball, Aliens). Los fans lo disfrutarán. Por cierto, hay momentos en los que el trazo del dibujo se emborrona más de la cuenta cuando lo comparas con las páginas anteriores o las posteriores. Una pena porque Norma ha acertado con el papel para un tebeo pensado para ser disfrutado originalmente en digital.
Profile Image for Matthew Ward.
1,047 reviews26 followers
December 20, 2022
Firstly, DWJ’s art is some of my favorite in comics and while I’ve only been familiar with his current stuff, it was fascinating to see some of his earliest work in this book. The art was imperfect in a great way and the story didn’t flow as well as his current stuff, but this book was still absolutely a DWJ book with characters you care about, emotions shown through art well, badass action scenes, and a desperate craving for more. Very thankful for this talented creator and I loved experiencing this early gem of his!
Profile Image for Paz.
556 reviews220 followers
June 11, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley & Image Comics for the advanced e-copy.

4 stars!
Image is releasing a remastered print edition of this webcomic adding a new extra chapter never published before, and let me tell you, this was fun!

The story follows Jonah, an ex-marine now space trucker, and his friend/shipmate Alphius, an alien with a heart of gold. In the first part of the story, Jonah decides to stop running from his past as a deserter and they both embark on a mission to one of the poorest planet of the universe to silence someone who's threatening to release footage of a massacre Jonah and the marines were involved in years before.
In the second half of the story, new characters are added when the crew arrives to New Mars City seeking urgent medical assistance. But this place is divided between humans and alien races. So Jonah has to gamble everything to save his friend. Here we follow an eclectic cast of characters, mob bosses, doctors and nurses, and athletes competing in a mortal race.

I have to say, the first two chapters where we focus on J and Al were my favorites. The friendship between them is quickly established so when chapter three and four come the stakes are high. I really liked the foundation of their bond. Chapter four is a bit messy, it's the big finale of this first arc where our characters meet and end up together as a the crew. Here, I feel like the pacing suffers a little, however it's still good fun and a good set up for what's next.
The issue is, in all of these years, a second volume was never published, though there were a few more chapters available online. This remastered first volume adds chapter 5, and though silly fun, it felt out of place. It's just a one off adventure and very very short. The good: we finally see the characters acting as a crew together, figuring out the dynamics between them. They are bickering and still getting used to each other in the midst on a attack inside their ship. The negative: Chapter Four ends up in a very dark place and this new adventure is completely disjointed to the main story. The tone is also very comedic, so it's a very abrupt change from story to story.

That being said, I actually really enjoyed this title. The artwork worked for me, it's a bit crude, a bit simple, only three colors are used, but I think it goes perfectly with the tone of the story. The action scenes are great, the character design for all these varied alien race are cool. We see the ugly, messiest part of this universe in this story, and the art was perfectly imperfect for these landscapes and characters.

I don't know if we will get more of Space-Mullet published, I truly hope so because I want to see more of this crew having space adventures together. I want to see them become a found family while fighting monsters and each other. I want more of this humour, action and adventure, because so far this story rocks.
Profile Image for Jocelyn.
276 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2021
I really enjoyed the premise and the basic story, but the unique artwork often made it difficult to know what was going on. The ending set up for a fantastic space cowboy series, but it doesn't look like anything further is coming. I'll definitely read it if anything is published because I want to know more about this ragtag group of aliens.
Profile Image for Valéria..
1,028 reviews38 followers
July 14, 2024
I think when it comes to make me tear up, DWJ is way better at it than Jeff Lemire.
Space-Mullet is very beautiful (as always) illustrated, loved those pages with the city and lots of tiny details. Each character was really important and I loved how the story tied everything together at the end. I´d love more of this world, for sure.
Profile Image for Craig.
2,912 reviews30 followers
September 23, 2020
This is really pretty good, though it takes awhile for the artwork to grow on you. Story follows a human ex-space marine turned space trucker and his alien buddy who are just trying to live their lives. An increasing number of things are getting in the way of that, including a friend of our hero who uses him to track down the survivors of a massacre, a space goblin who owns a casino which is partially-demolished, and two women working as nurses in the Martian health system while trying to raise their standards of living. What starts out as kind of a jokey, sarcastic tale of two friends grows and stretches into so much more. I really enjoyed this and would like to see a volume 2.
Profile Image for Bill Coffin.
1,286 reviews9 followers
November 19, 2020
For fans of Extremity and Murder Falcon, Space Mullet! is a look at writer/Artist Darren Warren Johnson's inaugural work, a gritty space opera about an ex-marine, an alien, a massacre, and a roller derby date with destiny on the back end of the universe. It throws curveballs at you constantly with compelling and deftly detailed characters, and artwork that may not be as clean and confident as wha we see in Johnson's later work, but is still very fun to behold, and services this story wonderfully. Space Mullet! is not what you expect, but it is unforgettable.
Profile Image for Jakub Kvíz.
345 reviews40 followers
September 10, 2024
Another re-read of this underrated masterpiece debut of Daniel Warren Johnson. Once again, I was blown away by how good this is and heartbroken that we might never see how the adventure of ex-Marine Jonah and his trucker co-pilot Alphius ends.

We really need a crowd-funding campaign for more of this absolute gem!
Profile Image for Charlie.
777 reviews26 followers
May 20, 2024
3.75 STARS

CW: violence, gore, blood, murder, death (including of children), slavery, racism, xenophobia, mention of torture, genocide

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Upon reading the title and seeing the cover, I was expecting something more light-hearted than what this was. I want to make it very clear that this is very violent, there are many depictions of killing and blood and pretty much exclusively heavy themes.

The art style was fine, I was a little overwhelmed sometimes with the way the panels were ordered and there was so much going on every page.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and it kept me engaged and interested throughout. I hope this will continue so we learn more about the characters (especially the nameless child who got saved). There was a resolution to the plot somewhat but there are still so many things that have been left unexplained and that I really want to learn more about.
Profile Image for Austin Plourde.
85 reviews
September 22, 2024
Decided to read a little sci-fi this Sunday morning and boy I blazed through this. I will pretty much read anything by Daniel Warren Johnson - the story and art in his books are always top-notch. He gets me to give a shit about characters in less than 300 pages.

If you're looking for a quick and accessible sci-fi read this I would recommend it !

The only reason I didn't give it five stars was that the ending was sort of abrupt or at least left me wanting more
302 reviews3 followers
February 1, 2025
I missed this first time round, as the title was a bit too quirky and twee.
But having read just about everything DWJ has done over the last few years - one of the most exciting talents in the industry today, I always wanted to circle back round for this.

You can see the signs of how good DWJ is here, especially the art. But it doesn’t quite hang together as a whole.
Profile Image for Michael Anderson.
430 reviews7 followers
July 31, 2019
Serviceable space opera with good sketchy artwork. It’s a volume 1, so there must be more to come, but this story seems complete. OK to read but, unless it’s free, I won’t get the next one.
Profile Image for Sarah McNally.
27 reviews
May 18, 2024
This was great. The artwork was fabulous, and the story was interesting. It was quite funny, and I found myself smiling a lot whilst reading. I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.
Profile Image for Jonathan Waugh.
153 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2024
Wild that DWJ was already THIS good in his early career. Fascinating to see the seeds of his themes here.
Profile Image for Cole Windsor.
17 reviews
June 7, 2025
Really good, however the last chapter felt a bit unnecessary
Profile Image for Rodolfo Santullo.
555 reviews48 followers
March 8, 2021
Primero fue una recomendación de que buscara su publicación online pero luego apareció nada menos que el TPB que reunía toda la historia en mi casa, así que el disfrute -maravillarse, en una palabra- de descubrir esta labor de David Warren Johnson vino por partida doble. Space Mullet! podría indicar por su nombre una historieta paródica -teniendo en cuenta que el mullet es un corte de pelo ochentoso que, de hecho, sí usa nuestro protagonista- pero si bien es cierto que hay cierta aura humorística acompañando el relato, estamos ante una space opera hecha y derecha, una aventura de ciencia ficción que irá enrareciendo su clima a medida que avanza y que por cierto pondrá las cosas muy en serio para sus protagonistas. Que son, en un principio, dos: Jonah, un ex marine espacial con alguna que otra macana a cuestas; y Alphius, un robusto extraterrestre que pertenece a una raza odiada por los humanos. Ellos son algo así cómo mercenarios espaciales -o fleteros del espacio, mejor visto- que hacen aquí y allá pequeñas tareas, hasta que aparece el gran motivo de este relato: una posibilidad para Jonah de redimirse de sus pecados pasados. Y esto será el puntapié de largada de una larga aventura -en verdad, dos, el libro reúne dos aventuras interconectadas que lamentablemente son todo lo que Warren Johnson ha hecho sobre este mundo y estos personajes- que es simplemente una maravilla. Batallas espaciales, héroes tan queridos cómo falibles, emoción, amistad, traiciones, lealtad y una parafernalia imaginativa dibujada cómo los mismos dioses que ponen a David Warren Johnson en el Top de mis artistas a seguir. Este libro es una, cómo decía antes, una maravilla, una verdadera obra maestra que impresiona -por encima de todo- al tratarse de un trabajo tan temprano en la carrera de su autor. Nota: por si quieren leerlo (en inglés) está todo en la web http://www.space-mullet.com/ (mucho más material incluso que el se incluye en el libro que ahora reseño).
Profile Image for Rahul Nadella.
595 reviews8 followers
April 2, 2024
Daniel Warren Johnson’s first work on a comic is a crazy badass sci-fi bromance adventure. Despite the goofy title this comic is pretty dark, with Jonah clearly being haunted by the past. It’s a bit rushed and all over the place but it’s got great art, showing that even when he was doing little web comics DWJ just refused to phone it in. Artistically it’s an incredibly high bar that only has improved over time, and I’m happy to say his story telling has also improved since, as I think this is unfortunately his weakest work I’ve read narratively. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of Johnson, you can even go beyond this one and read the entire web comic online for free, last updated in 2017 so I’m guessing he’s probably done with it. I will say on one final note the chemistry between Jonah and the girl felt pretty sudden, going from “you’re kind of cute” to “hey when I die you can have all my money” but other than that, check it out, if for no other reason than to see how DWJ has evolved.
Profile Image for Azirafel.
72 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2026
Daniel Warren Johnson empezó su carrera con un webcómic, parte del cual se recopila en este tomo que resulta, a la vez, tremendamente satisfactorio y un poco decepcionante. Me explico, por una parte tenemos la primera obra de uno de los mejores autores de la actualidad, mostrando ya muchos de los elementos que le caracterizan como su habilidad para las splash-pages, los personajes llenos de humanidad o un concepto de la violencia tan lúdico como impactante. Por el lado malo, solamente incluye 5 de los 8 capítulos que se publicaron del webcómic, lo que es una pena.

Uno de mis sueños comiqueros es que alguna vez DWJ vuelva a jugar en el mundo de Space-Mullet y nos regale un final satisfactorio. Mientras eso no sucede, al menos tenemos este testimonio de que hay autores que ya demuestran su calidad desde un principio. Muy recomendable pese a sus pequeños problemas.
Profile Image for Scott.
357 reviews5 followers
July 8, 2016
A gritty, down and dirty Sf scenario set in the back end of the galaxy, where bad-ass aliens befriend as well as collide with humans, and where Space Marines are up against a battle of their own. Mobsters mix it up with space faring do-gooders, and in the end is a well told and heartfelt tale. The artwork is starkly inked in black with a limited color palette of blue and white (except for chapter covers), but it suits the story fine. If you like the used and worn feel of the series Firefly, you may like this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.