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Ark Land
A whimsical sci-fi adventure about a fantasy world turned on its head by the arrival of mysterious alien arks.
A century has passed since the arks appeared out of the depths of space and into the blue sky of their humble planet. The alien animals on board have made this planet their new home. They live in their wilderness, they're sold in their markets, and their mysterious origins are even worshipped by some. Like floating shipwrecks, many of the old arks still orbit the planet, waiting to plummet to the ground below. Kairn is an Ark Land scavenger; someone that tracks ark debris impacts to salvage and later pawn. But when the local radio station announces a contest, offering a sizable reward for the latest ark debris, Kairn is unwittingly thrust into a quest full of colourful characters, strange places, and bizarre creatures.
A century has passed since the arks appeared out of the depths of space and into the blue sky of their humble planet. The alien animals on board have made this planet their new home. They live in their wilderness, they're sold in their markets, and their mysterious origins are even worshipped by some. Like floating shipwrecks, many of the old arks still orbit the planet, waiting to plummet to the ground below. Kairn is an Ark Land scavenger; someone that tracks ark debris impacts to salvage and later pawn. But when the local radio station announces a contest, offering a sizable reward for the latest ark debris, Kairn is unwittingly thrust into a quest full of colourful characters, strange places, and bizarre creatures.
268 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 2018
1 person is currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Scott A. Ford
6 books4 followersScott A. Ford is an award-winning comic creator, illustrator, and designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His comic projects include Romulus + Remus, Giants’ Well, and Ark Land. His work has been featured in galleries and publications, on beer cans and book covers. He has also spoken about his artistic practice at numerous public presentations about art and design.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 31, 2023
I liked it. It was interesting. I liked the worldbuilding a lot. The characters were also very interesting. I felt like some of it was not explored a lot (like the Hunters and ). I really liked the sci-fi animals and how they were mixed in with our animals! That was super cool to me!
Overall, it was fun! I liked the characters and the world is fascinating. A lot of the worldbuilding was surprisingly well done considering the short length of the graphic novel. :)
Overall, it was fun! I liked the characters and the world is fascinating. A lot of the worldbuilding was surprisingly well done considering the short length of the graphic novel. :)
June 15, 2018
With Ark Land, Scott A. Ford takes us in to a fantastical, albeit bizarre, alternate Earth, where Arks, massive Alien Spacecraft void of intelligent life, have been floating in orbit for the better part of a century and routinely crash to Earth; where Scavengers, such as our protagonist Kairn, rush to strip the wreckages of Alien technology for sale to Ark Worshipers and collectors. Towns grow up around Ark Temples and Alien flora and fauna has interwoven itself with that of Earth.
How does the story work? We follow the first-person experiences of Kairn in the illustrated Graphic Novel format. The narrative takes the traditional Adventure genre format of MacGuffin for plot progression (the MacGuffin here is the Ark Day contest/Ark debris contest and its reward) and, as a visual medium, progresses largely through action; adhering nicely to the visual medium rule of "show me, don't tell me".
Ford delivers the story in the best way possible, the Introduction Act doesn't suddenly throw a ton of characters at us, instead we're introduced to our entourage of characters in a nice even, and steadily progressing, pace. Likewise, the Conflict Act's goal is introduced without feeling forced and, as a result, the story feels very filmic; with the even flow of pacing that you'd get in a good Adventure Movie.
Visually, nothing is ever confusing. The Artwork is very stylised and, therefore, lends its weight to the stylised theme of the story. Fantastic use of depth of field perspective in a couple of panels where the Panel Camera is either looking up or down a large mural in our main city's Ark Temple, which absolutely added something very cinematic to the visuals of the overall story.
Ark Land successfully blends Sci-Fi, Fantasy and All-Ages Fiction in a medium where those things being combined are often blended to muddied or confused outcomes.
If you want a lighthearted Adventure read that can be enjoyed by the youngest members of the family, just as much as it can be by the adults, then you need to get yourself a copy of Ark Land.
How does the story work? We follow the first-person experiences of Kairn in the illustrated Graphic Novel format. The narrative takes the traditional Adventure genre format of MacGuffin for plot progression (the MacGuffin here is the Ark Day contest/Ark debris contest and its reward) and, as a visual medium, progresses largely through action; adhering nicely to the visual medium rule of "show me, don't tell me".
Ford delivers the story in the best way possible, the Introduction Act doesn't suddenly throw a ton of characters at us, instead we're introduced to our entourage of characters in a nice even, and steadily progressing, pace. Likewise, the Conflict Act's goal is introduced without feeling forced and, as a result, the story feels very filmic; with the even flow of pacing that you'd get in a good Adventure Movie.
Visually, nothing is ever confusing. The Artwork is very stylised and, therefore, lends its weight to the stylised theme of the story. Fantastic use of depth of field perspective in a couple of panels where the Panel Camera is either looking up or down a large mural in our main city's Ark Temple, which absolutely added something very cinematic to the visuals of the overall story.
Ark Land successfully blends Sci-Fi, Fantasy and All-Ages Fiction in a medium where those things being combined are often blended to muddied or confused outcomes.
If you want a lighthearted Adventure read that can be enjoyed by the youngest members of the family, just as much as it can be by the adults, then you need to get yourself a copy of Ark Land.
June 3, 2018
The illustrations were on point; however, the story lacks depth and the font of the comic is god-awful and hard to read...
June 22, 2018
Bellyups, and Mountain Mantises, and Gnarles, oh my!
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)
Kairn lives in Ark Land, an alternate (or future?) version of earth. The main point of divergence between our worlds? Well, that would be the alien arks that float above Ark Land. They first arrived nearly a century ago, and starting falling from the sky not long after. Filled with alien lifeforms and tech, the ships became a prime source of revenue for scavengers like Kairn, who strip the arks down to the studs and pawn the debris for cash monies. But pickings are slim, at least out in the moors, where Kairn lives - along with two dogs (Rex is an earthling dog; Bertrand is his extraterrestrial counterpart) and a scrappy robot named Patterson.
When local radio station Ark Peak Radio announces a scavenging contest to coincide with the town's annual Ark Day, Kairn throws her hat (um, mask?) in the ring. She must outwit fellow scavengers, elude the forests' hunters, and defeat an entire robot army to win her share of the 4000 coins up for grabs. But little does she know that the contest is part of a conspiracy involving the Ark-worshipping religious order that resides in the mountain - one that could lead to the death of one of her best friends, if not the destruction of the entire planet.
The story in Ark Land is entertaining enough, but it's the artwork that really shines here. Between the bright and vibrant colors, the occasional throwback '80s vibes, and the craaaaaazy alien life forms, Ark Land is a visual feast. Everything is just super-imaginative and gorgeous.
It's hard to tell if this is meant to be the first in an ongoing series; the main story arc is wrapped up tidily enough, but there are so many avenues for further exploration. I really hope to meet with Kairn (and Rex and Bertrand and Patterson!) again, if only because I found her relatable AF, from her video game and candy addiction right down to her fierce loyalty to her nonhuman friends. SUCH a cool protagonist.
Okay BYYYYEEEEEE!
http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/08/07/...
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)
Kairn lives in Ark Land, an alternate (or future?) version of earth. The main point of divergence between our worlds? Well, that would be the alien arks that float above Ark Land. They first arrived nearly a century ago, and starting falling from the sky not long after. Filled with alien lifeforms and tech, the ships became a prime source of revenue for scavengers like Kairn, who strip the arks down to the studs and pawn the debris for cash monies. But pickings are slim, at least out in the moors, where Kairn lives - along with two dogs (Rex is an earthling dog; Bertrand is his extraterrestrial counterpart) and a scrappy robot named Patterson.
When local radio station Ark Peak Radio announces a scavenging contest to coincide with the town's annual Ark Day, Kairn throws her hat (um, mask?) in the ring. She must outwit fellow scavengers, elude the forests' hunters, and defeat an entire robot army to win her share of the 4000 coins up for grabs. But little does she know that the contest is part of a conspiracy involving the Ark-worshipping religious order that resides in the mountain - one that could lead to the death of one of her best friends, if not the destruction of the entire planet.
The story in Ark Land is entertaining enough, but it's the artwork that really shines here. Between the bright and vibrant colors, the occasional throwback '80s vibes, and the craaaaaazy alien life forms, Ark Land is a visual feast. Everything is just super-imaginative and gorgeous.
It's hard to tell if this is meant to be the first in an ongoing series; the main story arc is wrapped up tidily enough, but there are so many avenues for further exploration. I really hope to meet with Kairn (and Rex and Bertrand and Patterson!) again, if only because I found her relatable AF, from her video game and candy addiction right down to her fierce loyalty to her nonhuman friends. SUCH a cool protagonist.
Okay BYYYYEEEEEE!
http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/08/07/...
May 26, 2018
I received this book as an advanced reader's copy and I was in love with the colors and the artwork associated with this graphic novel. However, the story and the dialogue at times was confusing and difficult to comprehend. It is understandable that there are some graphic novels that are for more advanced reading levels but our young adult patrons even the ones at a higher level are real meticulous on how the plot and storyline flow throughout the book. If it is inconsistent or jumps from one end to the next, they will quit reading so that would be my only critique. All in all it was a great read that we are giving 4 stars!
September 5, 2018
It was ok. I picked this book up because it was by a local-ish author and because of the colors. There is so much more that could've been done with the plot and character development, that I felt it was lacking. Kairn was an interesting protagonist to begin with, but when she never developed, I lost interest. Interesting concept, not a wonderful execution.
September 3, 2018
I met Scott at Fan Expo this weekend and had a nice chat about art. I bought this graphic novel and really enjoyed the creativity and adventure of the book. My kids are now reading it as well. Wonderful colours as well!
December 22, 2021
3.25
great drawings and really good use of colour!!! very nice to look at
as for the story, i enjoyed it but it felt kind of incomplete to me. i feel like it needs a sequel or something. i just wish there was more (more detail, more development, and just more plot lol)
great drawings and really good use of colour!!! very nice to look at
as for the story, i enjoyed it but it felt kind of incomplete to me. i feel like it needs a sequel or something. i just wish there was more (more detail, more development, and just more plot lol)
July 10, 2023
A girl, her two dogs and robot live as scavengers in the future where people live off of the alien tech falling out of the sky. It's a good YA comic although there's not enough world building for me to consider it great. The art is on point and the coloring is particularly good.
January 3, 2019
Beautifully illustrated and an immersive world, but could have more depth to the plot and characters.
January 11, 2019
At first I really liked it, but then the ending felt rushed and anti-climactic.
November 8, 2021
Beautiful art, fun story, would do better as a tv show tho- so much world yet to explore despite being a pretty substantial length
July 8, 2023
I loved this. The art style was spectacular and I loved the story. I did find the font choice a bit hard to read but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment for me
January 14, 2026
no character development at all but there were some cool aliens and pretty colors
July 3, 2018
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
I love that we have so many original stories in graphic novel format these days. Sure, I may not love all of them - but we have such variety that we really are spoiled. And while Ark Land never connected with me, I was glad to have a chance to read it.Story: Kairn survives in the moors, picking up debris from arks that fell out of orbit and crash landed on the planet. The arks contained specimens of different creatures and plants that took up life and created a very interesting world. No one knows why the arks appeared - only that they can somewhat tell when one is going to fall and then head to that location to search the debris for scraps. When Kairn becomes involved in a radio contest to find certain scraps, she will uncover a much larger plot involving the secretive cult that worships the arks.
For me, I found Kairn to be completely charmless as a main character and therefore did not really want her to succeed or even to follow her adventures. He/she was yet another example of a person everyone is nice to even though he/she doesn't deserve it and he/she doesn't really care how much damage she does to people. Even when searching for her kidnapped robot buddy, he/she is more concerned about the robot's usefulness than the companionship. If we don't have a "Forest Gump" type of charm in a simple hero/heroine, it's hard to really like them.
The plot itself is choppy and feels pieced together - almost like the mindless episodic feel of Tv series. I didn't really feel an overarching arc and the ending was so anticlimactic as to make everything that went before completely pointless. It was like a road map: character does a then b then c. End tale.
The illustration work was ok - it was very distinct but again, as with the story, it never really got my attention. The panels were detailed yet there was an unrefined crudeness that never really made sense to me, especially in a sci fi story. E.g., the ark wrecks looked like the bones of a shipwreck - yet we were to believe there was a whole maze inside that wasn't apparent from the outside. It was hard to follow.
The big killer for me was a font that is so hard to read as to be distracting. I had to force myself to finish the book, using glasses and a magnifying glass to meticulously figure out each word. After awhile, it gave me a headache and I began skimming.
So although this was not a book I enjoyed, I still am damn glad we have offerings like this.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews