Red Vector

by Tim Daniel, Chris Evenhuis (Illustrator)

When an alien society embroiled in a civil war fires their ultimate weapon, instead of destroying their enemies, it opens a portal from their galaxy to an orbit above Earth, bringing their conflict to our world. What if Star Wars crash-landed on Earth? Brought to life by the creators behind Morning Star and Crush Depth!

Cora Martinez has seen her fair share of conflict-- as a Sonoran Desert Park Ranger, she straddles the line between sheltering desperate immigrants and steering others away from an uncertain fate. She longs for a place where disputes such as these no longer exist. But a clash far bigger than any on Earth is about to rip the heavens apart and crash land upon her doorstep with the arrival of two opposing combatants in an alien civil war through a rift in space! The earthbound space opera from the creators of Morning Star and Crush Depth begins! When the stars fell, war came to Earth.

Genres: Comics

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 17, 2026

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Selling Pitch:
We have Star Trek at home but there's some very questionable messaging about immigration in this.

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
Look, if you put a good boy in a bandana on the cover, I’m gonna read it.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:

They’re like he’s a hero! You can tell cause he’s shirtless with abs. And I’m like ha ha gay. Enemies to lovers? (No lmao)

I hope they put him in sweatpants with like juicy across the butt. (Boo, but also copyright’s a bitch.)

This is Camp. I like it.

Yes daddy.

The speech bubbles have no flow. The plot is kinda all over the place

Oh no, that was kinda bad

What sort of messaging is America won't let us in so we’ll just form a new country by teaching people basic empathy and creativity. Girllllll

Post-reading:
This is some campy 80s sci-fi, but there's some really questionable messaging in it surrounding immigration. There’s a xenophobic idiot who runs over someone fleeing across the border, and it's played for laughs. Similarly, there's an outdated, misogynistic slant to this. Both female characters are manic pixie dream girls so functionally similar, they're mistaken for one another. The plotting is a bit disjointed at times and speech bubbles don’t seem to match up. The story’s lacking a lot of flow. The story ends by advocating that the illegal immigrants forget about America and choose to make a new country in space where they can teach aliens that there's more to life than labor. That's shit and harmful messaging.

While the art is cute, I dont think that's enough to make up for a disjointed story with harmful messaging, so this is going on my do not read list.

Who should read this:
Campy sci-fi fans
Nostalgic sci-fi fans

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
No

Would I buy this:
No

Similar books:
* Overgrowth by Mira Grant-sci-fi, aliens, queer
* Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir-sci-fi adventure

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm… A lass, that the blurb yet not the book itself says is there subverting the American immigrant police on the Mexican border, gets more than she expected when not one but two aliens crashland on her patch. Something something rift warpy happened during some intergalactic battling, and therefore they might be stuck. But if – IF – they can collaborate, they might be able to have more say in their future.

This works as a kind of naive 'found family' formation, with the Earthling lass, Cora, and her dog, and the characters and tech from elsewhere. But it's clearly lumbered with too much it can't juggle at the same time. The whole migrant thing is as blunt as a sledgehammer, and the book is ill-equipped to say anything interesting there. The bigger sin perhaps, depending on your point of view, is that we just cannot understand the something something rift warpy thing – it seems to be a kind of hyperdrive that has been weaponised, or certainly you don't want to be flying a spaceship directly behind.

And you're just settling into the 'found family' storyline, with the lesson (that seems to have reached the aliens through the something something rift warpy thing, whereby they watched 'From Here to Eternity' and other films) that we can all go out and be wonders, and defy those who would deny us our dreams – when the whole thing grinds to a halt, the team split up. You could therefore easily argue that all three aspects of this have been a failure, then – for which two stars is about its lot.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Red Vector" is a fast paced and exciting space opera featuring a pair of mortal enemies forced to join forces to vanquish a stereotyped and maniacal space tyrant bent on conquest and control at all costs. This book has a great vibe and the portrayals of robots, space ships and other future tech generally rocks. Portrayal of characters both visually and in terms of the writing are not as strong. Character development is sporadic at best and several key characters lack adequate introductions and back stories. The overall message of promoting human dignity and resisting tyranny is strong and inspiring but the impact and delivery of the message is marred by significant incoherencies in the plot. Heavy reliance on themes and characters that are overly reminiscent of “Star Wars” and “Flash Gordon” also undermines this book pretty much at every turn. Another glaring and significant weakness of this book is the portrayal of the Sonoran dessert, in which much of the action takes place, as a barren wasteland reminiscent of the Sahara. Most likely only those who have spent any significant amount in the region will notice or care but for those who have many of the outdoor scenes will be laughably unbelievable at best. At least the artists threw in a few Saguaros.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Mad Cow Studios, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars rounded to 3.

[East of Reality · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like a 1970’s-1980’s era scifi movie in the best way. Costumes, gadgets, robot friends and lost girlfriends! There’s a bit of camp to it, and a lot of action, and the art — too — has that sort of classic sci-fi feel. The plot is a bit on the shallow side, in my opinion, with so much of the focus of the story being on the plot rather than the characters, and it throws in some social issues near the end that … well, while they work, are a bit heavy handed.

Still, it’s quick, it’s fun, and the dog lives.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Red Vector” is a fun little adventure that reminded me of an 80s cartoon in look and in how it wrapped up with a lesson at the end.

The story will seem more than a little familiar at times, including some of the dialogue. There were times that I felt like I was missing a panel or two because of how disjointed the story was a few times.

Overall, an enjoyable graphic novel if for no other reason than just getting lost in the art.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Curious Madra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for giving me this graphic novel!

Really like the Star Trek x Star Wars vibes in the story and the characters seem pretty ok. Although I wish it wasn’t too fast and confusing but still a read to waste time on!