Con Mans Spectrum #1

Con Mans Spectrum

by Alan Tudyk (Writer), P.J. Haarsma (Writer), Sarah Stone (Artist)

The survivors of a brutal alien invasion converge on the last military base on Earth. Ambushed and outgunned, pilot Cash Wayne and Captain James Raaker have to figure out how to escape in a spaceship no one has ever flown! Firefly stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion explore the world of 'Spectrum,' the cancelled-too-soon show-within-a-show from their hit web series, Con Man!

Genres: Science Fiction, Comics, Comic Book

Published June 29, 2016

About the author

Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor and voice actor known for his roles as Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the space western television series Firefly and movie Serenity, Alpha in the science fiction TV series Dollhouse, Tucker McGee in Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story and Wat in A Knight's Tale. He also co-starred on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. He also had a supporting role in the film 42 as baseball manager Ben Chapman and voiced significant roles in Walt Disney Animation Studios' Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Zootopia. Most recently, he has finished development on the web series Con Man. Now the Con Man and Firefly stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion present the first Spectrum comic from their highly successful webseries, Con Man!

Reviews

[Derek Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much going on in this issue and all of it feels a little bit rushed. A new character, Cash is introduced. While Raaker has Nathan Fillion's likeness, Cash is the cartoony stand-in for Alan Tudyk. I did like the character's over-optimism and quirky charm, but I wished the overall tone was a little less on the campy side. The way he meets up with Raaker (who has just met another newly introduced character) felt quite forced even by scifi/comic standards. I'm the type of person that can definitely suspend a good amount of disbelief in favor of a good story, but even I couldn't overlook just how conveniently coincidental things played out.

Then there's Ketheria's quest to do...something. We still don't know exactly what she's up to other than she's got a potentially mesmerized ally and she needs a ship. So she and her follower find another new character who I think I'll find quite likable, but since we don't get much of him, it's hard to say for sure. Then there's a page or two at the end which features two more never-before-seen characters and leaves off at a dramatic twist. Since I had really no idea who either of these people were, the twist didn't have as much impact as I would have liked, in fact it felt rather flat and unearned.

The art is still fantastic and I do still find the story to be compelling. I also think things will be better in the next issue. It just kind of seemed like the writers were trying to get all of the pieces on the board as quickly as they could and for that I think the issue suffered overall. I'm looking forward to Issue #2 and hope to get to know some of these newcomers a little better.

[Micheale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm loving the Spectrum comics...the backstory to Con Man, the Web series. If you're a Firefly fan, do yourself a favor and check them out.