The Domain

by Chip Zdarsky, Rachael Stott (Artist), Eren Angiolini (Colorist)

A classic superhero story for those coming in fresh, and a fun meta story for readers of PUBLIC DOMAIN!

When three best friends discover a crashed UFO, they also discover technology that gives them incredible abilities! But there’s a catch: only one of them can use the powers at a time! Can their friendship survive the power’s temptation?

In the pages of Image’s Eisner-winning series, PUBLIC DOMAIN, Syd Dallas and the team at Dallas Comics re-imagine their classic character THE DOMAIN for a new audience and… this is that comic! This special series is written by CHIP ZDARSKY (Batman, NEWBURN) with amazing art by RACHAEL STOTT (Fantastic Four, Doctor Who) and EREN ANGIOLINI (Justice League: Last Ride).

Collects issues #1-5.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Aliens, Science Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

Chip Zdarsky is a Canadian comic book artist and journalist. He was born Steve Murray but is known by his fan base as Chip Zdarsky, and occasionally Todd Diamond. He writes and illustrates an advice column called Extremely Bad Advice for the Canadian national newspaper National Post's The Ampersand, their pop culture section's online edition. He is also the creator of Prison Funnies and Monster Cops.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about the Dallas family working so hard in Chip Zdarsky's Public Domain series as they form their own publishing company and put out their first comic book. So it's sort of disappointing to find out that this dull and generic superhero vs. aliens mishmash is the result of all that effort.

I'm sure spinning off a series about the "book within the book" seemed like a good idea -- or at least a semi-lucrative side hustle -- but I wish Zdarsky had applied the energy to putting out the third volume of the mother ship.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contains material originally published in single magazine form as The Domain #1-5.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have high hopes for this unexpected spin-off from Public Domain, so I was pleasantly surprised when The Domain offered a solid origin story for a new comic book universe. None of the family dynamics or black humor from Public Domain are on offer here: this is a classic call-to-action narrative as a trio of space-lovers stumble onto a crashed alien ship loaded with mysterious armbands that give them limited superpowers.

Complicating the process of figuring out superheroics are a few antagonist groups: the military, an obscure branch of NASA, the crashed aliens themselves, and a group of alien mercenaries after the arm bands. Lots to tackle in limited space, but Zdarsky keeps things rolling smoothly, ending with our trio of heroes set up for further adventures (which I would absolutely read).

Is it bad that I almost like this more than Public Domain? It's a silly, simple superhero comic that rarely veers from established territory, but it looks great and reads fast, basically a splendid Saturday morning cartoon for adults.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am enjoying PUBLIC DOMAIN...but this being the comic within the comic...not so much.
if it was supposed to be a bit cliched..they did a good job.

[Alex Sarll]

Chip Zdarsky's Public Domain is a pretty good comics industry satire in which it turns out that the creator of one of the world's biggest superheroes still has the rights to the character after all – but rather than take a huge cash settlement from the corporation that's been profiting from the character for all these years, he accepts the right to do his own comics too. And this is the first five issues of that comic from within the comic. Now, the world and the comics of Public Domain may look like ours in some ways, but in others they're very different – not least that the creators of any of the truly top tier superheroes are still alive and working in the present day. So it's hard to know how this would go down there, where the Domain has all the symbolic weight and history of Superman or Spidey. But here, it's... fine, I guess? Certainly better than some of Image's attempts at new superhero worlds like the inexplicably popular Massiveverse, and with definite traces of Zdarsky wit, but also a bit cluttered, with the intended big character moments tending to come off a little Very Special Episode. Fun as a meta wrinkle, probably not able to stand alone.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally like Zdarksy and I love the idea of this being the actual comic they make in Public Domain (which is fantastic), but this did absolutely nothing for me

[Matthew Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the comic that the characters in Public Domain are creating. I'm always a sucker for metafiction. This is solid and the Rachael Stott artwork is really strong. Rounding up from 3.5.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

I've been in a mood lately to read some graphic novels and was looking for something new and also a first in a series when I stumbled on this, The Domain.
Three friends head out to where an actual UFO may have landed. One of the friends has been actively tracking such events and fortunately this one seems to be close enough for them to go and check it out. It is just what they hoped for - an alien ship with some bona-fide aliens aboard. Though most of the aliens appear to have died in the crash. Since the aliens have no use for anything, the three youngsters help themselves to some pretty fancy wristbands. The bands, though, give the humans super powers! Sort of like Green Lantern's ring, whatever they can imagine seems to happen.

There's a catch, though. Only one can use the power of the bands at a time. So if one of them happens to be in the middle of a superhero action and one of the other friends decide to make use of a power, the one in the middle of a super hero action is suddenly totally human again.

One of the aliens isn't quite dead and rather leave him (her? it?) to tattle on them to some men in black, they take him with them. He warns the kids that each time they use the power of the bands it is acting like a beacon to some really nasty, take-it-or-blow-it-up aliens. Can the kids trust the alien? Can they give up infinite power now that they've tested it? Can they even get along?

There was something kind of charming here. Our three young adults seemed like a pretty natural grouping of outcasts (if they were cool kids they'd be doing sports or something, not chasing UFOs). They react differently to having the ne powers so that the average reader is bound to identify with one of them.

The story moves rapidly. A little too rapidly for my tastes. In our just over 100 pages we go from meeting the kids, to finding a spaceship, to having awesome powers, to being hunted by an intergalactic biker gang with a damaged alien the only thing between the planet's destruction and the bad aliens.

I'd like to have seen more character development, more exploration of the wristbands and how they work. I wouldn't mind if we didn't even meet the bad guys until the next volume. But at the same time, I can picture some middle school kids, or even high schoolers, sitting in a school library and reading through this. The way this story moves is perfect for a middle-schooler.

I thought the art was nicely done. It seemed pretty typical to what I've come to expect with most graphic novels I've read in the past few years.

I had fun and I'm definitely interested in reading the next volume.

Since writing the above I went to look at other reviews (there were only three) and they all referred to this being part of something bigger - whatever Public Domain is. I'm not an insider here. I'm not a regular graphic novel reader and I don't know many of the authors or artists names so this means nothing to me. I enjoyed this book. I didn't get any sense that I was missing important information,

Looking for a good book? The Domain is a delightful superhero/scifi graphic novel. Great for younger readers, but adults should enjoy this, too.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the comic that was created in the comic that Chip Zdarsky created in Public Domain, now actually a physical comic instead of just- Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.

The idea here is sound. An alien lands, and three friends find bracelets that allow them to access superpowers, though only one of them can access them at a time. Bad guys want them, the Army wants them, you know the drill. Tale as old as time.

There are a few neat twists, I'll admit - the Extraterrestrial Task Force lady was a fun change of pace even if she didn't do much until the end, and the three main characters have a few surprising quirks to their characters that make them more than just flat. But it never really gets beyond 'okay' as a story.

The art doesn't really help. Rachael Stott's a reliable artist, I've seen her work on a lot of books, but it never really sits right with me personally, it always feels a little off, and I've never really been able to pinpoint why. Might just be personal preference, I guess, or maybe the colouring? Either way, the visuals didn't really help elevate the decent story for me.

A clever experiment, I suppose, but I don't think this was necessary for Public Domain's success.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light-hearted tween-friendly comic where some geeky college kids discover a crashlanded alien, and purloin not only one of the critters but their special bracelets, that give them super abilities in fighting and in mentally absorbing knowledge. The only thing is, it's not just Earth authorities that want such a thing – the alien tech is also being sought by, well, aliens. I don't care whether this is the comic you see getting made in "Public Domain" – in isolation this is breezy but light; pleasant fun but disposable. Mind, the review file was only the first 3 issues, not 5, so I can't rave over the wondrous thing it turns into.

(Which I seriously doubt happened.) Three and a half stars, perhaps – but marked down to three by not being complete, and ridiculous overuse of grawlixes.

[Nevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This distinguishes itself from all the other solid but forgettable indie superhero origin story by spinning out of Zdarsky's Public Domain, Volume 1: Past Mistakes series. That may not be good enough for everyone: This story isn't as good as Public Domain, and I'm not convinced that this is the iconic character that everyone in that world loves. But on the other hand, it was enough to keep me reading with an open mind, and I enjoyed it.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chip Zdarsky gets a bit meta by making the comic within his comic Public Domain, the comic about bringing back on old comic that the artist worked on for the majority of his career. It's straight up super hero fare. Three friends find a crashed spaceship and find a suit that grants them powers but only one of them can use it at a time causing all kinds of problems as they yank it off each other left and right. Then there's the matter of the aliens and the government who both want those suits. It's a neat idea, but it's hard to make it more than that in only 5 issues.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of a meta-story in that it's the re-booted comic book story to re-invent the character / concept from the original comic book within the story of a man who created The Domain and his sons who help re-launch the comic. Clear as mud? You don't really need to know any of that to enjoy this sci-fi super-hero tale of three friends in their early twenties who stumble across an alien device which gives them super-powers, but only one of them can use it at a time.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

A near full 4 from Canadian Chip Zdarsky ( a bonus)

Very solid space alien / hero romp :)

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good for something that shouldn't exist. It's ultimately very Power Pack-y with some more questionable behavior from the protagonists.

[Cadillac Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zdarsky and Stott make a great team. Just a rock solid superhero story told by talented creators, I hope they continue this book because I'd love to read more.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Derivative origin story, half Green Lantern half movie Marvels, but as a tie-in to the Public Domain line it works. Lets see if we ever get more of either.