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Invisible Kingdom #1-5
Invisible Kingdom, Vol. 1: Walking the Path
Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning author G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Wonder Woman) and Eisner winning artist Christian Ward (Black Bolt) team up for this epic new sci-fi saga!
In a distant galaxy, two women discover an inconceivable conspiracy between the world's most dominant religion and an all-powerful mega corporation.
Suddenly the prey in a desperate interstellar chase, they're faced with a life-or-death decision: reveal the truth or risk plunging their worlds into anarchy.
Collects Invisible Kingdom #1 - #5.
In a distant galaxy, two women discover an inconceivable conspiracy between the world's most dominant religion and an all-powerful mega corporation.
Suddenly the prey in a desperate interstellar chase, they're faced with a life-or-death decision: reveal the truth or risk plunging their worlds into anarchy.
Collects Invisible Kingdom #1 - #5.
136 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2019
53 people are currently reading
2500 people want to read
About the author
G. Willow Wilson
472 books3,316 followersHugo, World Fantasy and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics, including THE BIRD KING, INVISIBLE KINGDOM, and ALIF THE UNSEEN. Co-creator of Ms Marvel. Honorary doctor of letters, Rutgers University. I accidentally started a dutch baby baking cult during quarantine. Not very active on here right now, but often found on Twitter.
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February 8, 2023
An epic sci-fi of political scandal between a well fixed religious cult and a massive corporation with only a ragtag shipping crew to expose the truth, this first volume of Invisible Kingdom is a gorgeously illustrated wild ride. Writer and artist duo G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward plunge us into an exciting and dynamic galactic adventure that may have a bit of a cliched assortment of elements that feel rather on-the-nose at times, but the overall interplay between them feels successful and like a shortcut to excitement. Drawing on many noticeable influences like Dune and the tv series Cowboy Bebop and Firefly, this is a high-stakes space extravaganza that has some early pacing issues, though there is a lot of moving pieces to coordinate in order to light the fuse of conflict that I am eager to watch play out further. A critique of capitalism and religious influence in government and the corruption that can occur, Invisible Kingdom shows a lot of promise, and some extraordinarily eye-popping artwork, despite a bit of a jumbled narrative that needs more room to breathe.
The story follows space captain Grix, who pilots a Lux cargo ship (the Lux corporation is a bit heavy-handedly just Amazon in space, but I’m into the criticisms so lets goooooo), and Vess who has just joined a religious sect called The Renunciation. This cult swears off all worldly possessions in a galaxy where rampant consumerism seems to be the only joy left for anyone. While the two groups seems diametrically opposed, an uncovered scandal links the two and Grix and Vess’ destiny cross in order to stop in, or be blown to space dust. The story really addresses capitalism head of with the major corporation doing what major corporations do best: corruption. And also how under capitalism it’s so expected that a for-profit company would be shady that nobody seems to care as long as they get their consumer goods. There is a great look at how the government’s hands are tied to the corporation and the religious sect over the need for donations and votes and why would the politicians act when it would be political suicide to expose the truth? It gives a good high-stakes tone for the series to progress, added by the fact that literally everyone is trying to kill our “found family”-style crew.
Starting with the positives, the art is incredible. The character designs are great (and are a variety of humanoid species) and the colors really pop. There is a sense of bright, in your face pop-culture marketing to the color palettes or the video com systems. It’s just so pretty to look at and there is awesome stuff like a floating cathedral.
The story is fun, but it really struggles to find its legs. It jerks back and forth like Grix’s ship doing evasive maneuvers more so than flow forward and a controlled pace, and some of the major reveals at the beginning are a bit hard to follow at first. They try to tease tension through a slow reveal but it mostly just makes it feel clumsy as everything comes at you a bit fast, especially Vess’ storyline that needs a bit more breathing space to capture the sense that they have been there awhile. It also just feels like “Epic Sci-Fi Starter Kit” with many of the elements. But it works for the most part and I enjoyed it. I do enjoy the sapphic elements as well, and that Vess’ species has numerous different genders.
Overall, I’m really enjoying this and optimistic about where it is headed. Will they survive? Will they topple empires? Tune in next time.
3.5/5
See you, Space Cowboy…
Volume 2: read my review here
Volume 3: read my review here
The story follows space captain Grix, who pilots a Lux cargo ship (the Lux corporation is a bit heavy-handedly just Amazon in space, but I’m into the criticisms so lets goooooo), and Vess who has just joined a religious sect called The Renunciation. This cult swears off all worldly possessions in a galaxy where rampant consumerism seems to be the only joy left for anyone. While the two groups seems diametrically opposed, an uncovered scandal links the two and Grix and Vess’ destiny cross in order to stop in, or be blown to space dust. The story really addresses capitalism head of with the major corporation doing what major corporations do best: corruption. And also how under capitalism it’s so expected that a for-profit company would be shady that nobody seems to care as long as they get their consumer goods. There is a great look at how the government’s hands are tied to the corporation and the religious sect over the need for donations and votes and why would the politicians act when it would be political suicide to expose the truth? It gives a good high-stakes tone for the series to progress, added by the fact that literally everyone is trying to kill our “found family”-style crew.
Starting with the positives, the art is incredible. The character designs are great (and are a variety of humanoid species) and the colors really pop. There is a sense of bright, in your face pop-culture marketing to the color palettes or the video com systems. It’s just so pretty to look at and there is awesome stuff like a floating cathedral.
The story is fun, but it really struggles to find its legs. It jerks back and forth like Grix’s ship doing evasive maneuvers more so than flow forward and a controlled pace, and some of the major reveals at the beginning are a bit hard to follow at first. They try to tease tension through a slow reveal but it mostly just makes it feel clumsy as everything comes at you a bit fast, especially Vess’ storyline that needs a bit more breathing space to capture the sense that they have been there awhile. It also just feels like “Epic Sci-Fi Starter Kit” with many of the elements. But it works for the most part and I enjoyed it. I do enjoy the sapphic elements as well, and that Vess’ species has numerous different genders.
Overall, I’m really enjoying this and optimistic about where it is headed. Will they survive? Will they topple empires? Tune in next time.
3.5/5
See you, Space Cowboy…
Volume 2: read my review here
Volume 3: read my review here
December 17, 2019
Visually this book is stunning. Christian Ward's art is made for otherworldy sci-fi adventures. His colors pop off the page. My one complaint would be the space battles. They are overly busy and I couldn't tell what was happening in them at all.
The book is about a society obsessed with an Amazon type company on one side and a devout religion of nuns on the other. In between is a Firefly / Futurama (a ragtag crew delivering packages) type crew on the run from both when they discover some damning information. Some of the story is almost allegorical, in particular the fake news diatribe. In summary, come for the story, stay for the art.
The book is about a society obsessed with an Amazon type company on one side and a devout religion of nuns on the other. In between is a Firefly / Futurama (a ragtag crew delivering packages) type crew on the run from both when they discover some damning information. Some of the story is almost allegorical, in particular the fake news diatribe. In summary, come for the story, stay for the art.
December 11, 2020
Lux (Amazon) and the Invisible Kingdom (the Catholic church) are both corrupt. A none (aka a nun - see how gosh durned imaginative G. Willow Wilson is?!) and a spaceship captained by a lesbian Han Solo are gonna tell everyone about how evil they is - that’ll show ‘em!
Wow. G. Willow Wilson went from writing the best book at Marvel to the kind of terrible sci-fi book I’d expect to see Image cranking out. Invisible Kingdom is so baaaad!
This is the laziest type of sci-fi where it’s basically our world but with generic spaceships whooshing around and every character has different coloured skin (purple, green, etc.) to show they’re ALIENS. They’ve got similar culture, values, it’s a capitalist society with religion and traditional families and different sexualities - it’s just so unimaginative.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the story was even halfway entertaining but it’s not even close. Two random characters find themselves together under contrived circumstances and pose zero threat to the establishment but they’re somehow hunted as if what they say to others could somehow crumble the entire power structure. It’s such childish storytelling.
The ending even underlines how pointless it all was - I mean, everyone knows how bad Amazon treats its workers but we all still use it; everyone knows what the Catholic church has done, and likely continues to do, to children in its care, and there are still millions upon millions of Catholics! Duh - plenty of people don’t shiv a git about the truth. This isn’t a profound revelation.
The book’s full of generic pew-pew spaceship laser fights, the characters are ridiculous - the Lux Jeff Bezos dude with the Maker/current Professor X helmet in particular is about as one-dimensional a villain as you can get - and at no point was I the least bit entertained by anything that was happening. It’s dumber than dumb sci-fi and somehow still managed to win Eisners this year (it’s got lesbians in it - give them a trophy)! Ugh.
The occasional splash page of an exterior shot of the spaceship was eye-catching with dramatic bursts of colour. Otherwise I wasn’t at all taken with Christian Ward’s goopy, too busy artwork and uninspired visuals that matched Wilson’s recycled sci-fi script to a T.
Boring, stupid, uncreative, both in the writing and the art - walk quickly past Invisible Kingdom, Volume 1: Walking the Path and don’t stop!
Wow. G. Willow Wilson went from writing the best book at Marvel to the kind of terrible sci-fi book I’d expect to see Image cranking out. Invisible Kingdom is so baaaad!
This is the laziest type of sci-fi where it’s basically our world but with generic spaceships whooshing around and every character has different coloured skin (purple, green, etc.) to show they’re ALIENS. They’ve got similar culture, values, it’s a capitalist society with religion and traditional families and different sexualities - it’s just so unimaginative.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the story was even halfway entertaining but it’s not even close. Two random characters find themselves together under contrived circumstances and pose zero threat to the establishment but they’re somehow hunted as if what they say to others could somehow crumble the entire power structure. It’s such childish storytelling.
The ending even underlines how pointless it all was - I mean, everyone knows how bad Amazon treats its workers but we all still use it; everyone knows what the Catholic church has done, and likely continues to do, to children in its care, and there are still millions upon millions of Catholics! Duh - plenty of people don’t shiv a git about the truth. This isn’t a profound revelation.
The book’s full of generic pew-pew spaceship laser fights, the characters are ridiculous - the Lux Jeff Bezos dude with the Maker/current Professor X helmet in particular is about as one-dimensional a villain as you can get - and at no point was I the least bit entertained by anything that was happening. It’s dumber than dumb sci-fi and somehow still managed to win Eisners this year (it’s got lesbians in it - give them a trophy)! Ugh.
The occasional splash page of an exterior shot of the spaceship was eye-catching with dramatic bursts of colour. Otherwise I wasn’t at all taken with Christian Ward’s goopy, too busy artwork and uninspired visuals that matched Wilson’s recycled sci-fi script to a T.
Boring, stupid, uncreative, both in the writing and the art - walk quickly past Invisible Kingdom, Volume 1: Walking the Path and don’t stop!
November 28, 2021
Pretty generic sci-fi that somehow managed to win an Eisner Award for Best New Series. Which probably tells you more about how awards are … er … awarded these days than it does about the quality of the book.
There’s an evil mega-corporation called Lux (Amazon) for which one of the two main characters and her ragtag crew are delivering goods with their little spaceship, and the powerful religious organization AlreadyForgotItsName (the Catholic Church) for which the other is a newly initiated. Turns out both organizations are corrupt. Didn’t see that coming, huh?
Both our protagonists stumble upon proof for what everybody knows anyway and are then threatened by the laughably evil bad guys for laughably little reasons really.
The spaceship crew is oh so diverse with its several alien species (they are pretty much all just humans, but in different colors) and there are also some lesbians among them (hence the award win). The revelation they find their way to in the end is wonderfully profound and original.
Not.
Overall this is a pretty lazy and, frankly, rather dumb book. What saves it is the art, especially the color palette. But it’s also guilty of another boring trend: Fight scenes that are so busy that no one is able to tell what’s actually going on in them.
Bottom line: This was pretty meh. And it was kind of dumb of me to get the first two books, just because the second one is nominated for a Hugo. Because I know exactly how Hugo awards are awarded these days. Hopefully I’m wrong in this instance.
There’s an evil mega-corporation called Lux (Amazon) for which one of the two main characters and her ragtag crew are delivering goods with their little spaceship, and the powerful religious organization AlreadyForgotItsName (the Catholic Church) for which the other is a newly initiated. Turns out both organizations are corrupt. Didn’t see that coming, huh?
Both our protagonists stumble upon proof for what everybody knows anyway and are then threatened by the laughably evil bad guys for laughably little reasons really.
The spaceship crew is oh so diverse with its several alien species (they are pretty much all just humans, but in different colors) and there are also some lesbians among them (hence the award win). The revelation they find their way to in the end is wonderfully profound and original.
Not.
Overall this is a pretty lazy and, frankly, rather dumb book. What saves it is the art, especially the color palette. But it’s also guilty of another boring trend: Fight scenes that are so busy that no one is able to tell what’s actually going on in them.
Bottom line: This was pretty meh. And it was kind of dumb of me to get the first two books, just because the second one is nominated for a Hugo. Because I know exactly how Hugo awards are awarded these days. Hopefully I’m wrong in this instance.
February 4, 2023
I couldn't help but get bored by this. Nothing gets the chance to breathe - we get no real feeling for what the renunciation does, believes or how it operates. We get no real feeling how much the Amazonlike Lux features in people's lives beyond 'people love to get their boxes'.
So much potential for a rich world, and most of the time is wasted on confusing space battles.
The main story reminds me of the Star Wars prequels' tax negotiation plot.
The art works when it's about structures - buildings, spaceships, it becomes decidedly wonky when concerned with faces. Alien races are as different as Star Trek aliens - defined by a purple or green skin colour and slight bits of play-doh stuck to their faces.
(Read as five single issues)
So much potential for a rich world, and most of the time is wasted on confusing space battles.
The main story reminds me of the Star Wars prequels' tax negotiation plot.
The art works when it's about structures - buildings, spaceships, it becomes decidedly wonky when concerned with faces. Alien races are as different as Star Trek aliens - defined by a purple or green skin colour and slight bits of play-doh stuck to their faces.
(Read as five single issues)
January 21, 2020
Oh geez. This started out a complete mess. It's a bunch of images and characters slapped together with little connecting threads and the reader is expected to put it together themselves. I'm tired of this lazy trend. It reminds me of Monstress. By the end, I did feel like I was beginning to understand what was going on, but it was not really enjoyable.
I wasn't crazy about the art or the characters. It's some sort of political space thriller with nuns invovled.
I don't think I will be going on with this series. I understand you want the reader to figure out the world for themselves, but it can go to far. The reader needs some exposition about the world they are in at the beginning. I didn't enjoy this. It takes too long to figure out what is going on. We need something to let us in on the world. Plus, there is no time taken to develop characters and I don't care about anyone in the story.
I see other people enjoy this story and that's wonderful. This just isn't the story for me.
I wasn't crazy about the art or the characters. It's some sort of political space thriller with nuns invovled.
I don't think I will be going on with this series. I understand you want the reader to figure out the world for themselves, but it can go to far. The reader needs some exposition about the world they are in at the beginning. I didn't enjoy this. It takes too long to figure out what is going on. We need something to let us in on the world. Plus, there is no time taken to develop characters and I don't care about anyone in the story.
I see other people enjoy this story and that's wonderful. This just isn't the story for me.
October 29, 2019
Look, after Ms. Marvel I'll probably follow G. Willow Wilson anywhere, but pairing her with Christian Ward is just begging me to get involved. Invisible Kingdom tells the story of two women, one a trainee priestess and the other an intergalactic pilot, whose worlds will come crashing together when they expose a conspiracy that implicates both the church and the state and threatens their very existence.
Invisible Kingdom has a lot to say. It's got interesting views on religion and faith, from both sides of the coin. It manages to be thought provoking without being preachy, and the world(s) that the story inhabit(s) unfold at a good pace, offering context for the past and clues about the future even as the story moves along. It's not too fast, not too slow, and it hits that final issue ending just right. I may not be able to remember all the characters' names just yet, but damn if I'm not invested in where their stories are going.
I mentioned Christian Ward on art, right? If anyone was born for outer space antics, it's him. His art always has this otherworldly feel to it, and he ramps that up to 11 for the space battles and stuff, but it's the more personal moments that really surprise me. The amount of emotion he can instill in the priestess characters when 75% of their faces are covered is astonishing.
Contrary to what it's name would suggest, Invisible Kingdom deserves to be noticed.
Invisible Kingdom has a lot to say. It's got interesting views on religion and faith, from both sides of the coin. It manages to be thought provoking without being preachy, and the world(s) that the story inhabit(s) unfold at a good pace, offering context for the past and clues about the future even as the story moves along. It's not too fast, not too slow, and it hits that final issue ending just right. I may not be able to remember all the characters' names just yet, but damn if I'm not invested in where their stories are going.
I mentioned Christian Ward on art, right? If anyone was born for outer space antics, it's him. His art always has this otherworldly feel to it, and he ramps that up to 11 for the space battles and stuff, but it's the more personal moments that really surprise me. The amount of emotion he can instill in the priestess characters when 75% of their faces are covered is astonishing.
Contrary to what it's name would suggest, Invisible Kingdom deserves to be noticed.
November 24, 2020
A critique of multi-national corporations such as Amazon (named Lux here) and the Roman Catholic Church (which features here a nunnery, with "nones"), a space opera that urges us to walk "the true path" to harmony and democracy and equality. Written by G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel) and illustrated by Christian Ward (Black Bolt), it's digitally futuristic, colorful, with vague-looking alien creatures. I feel a little as I did when beginning Monstress, that this is a sci-fantasy allegory which is both obvious as to the overall purposes, and confusing as to the details.
November 15, 2019
Wow.
Just wow.
Sometimes that's all I got.
Somewhere in a distant galaxy two women are on very different paths. Vess has just taken her vows as a "none" of the Renunciation, the leading religion in her world. She has a brilliant mind and a firm belief that this is what she is meant to do with her life. Freighter pilot Grix has placed her faith in Lux, the Amazon of outer space and the most powerful corporation in the galaxy. She travels the stars making deliveries with a ragtag crew while trying to wrangle her baby brother who shes raising to spare him from their rotten parents.
These two polar opposites are thrown together when they both discover a dark conspiracy by their superiors to defraud millions of believers in the path and patrons of Lux. Pretty soon they're trapped in Grix's woefully ill equipped freighter with her wild and crazy crew being pursued by enemies with enough power and money to blast them into stardust.
This is a gorgeous acid trip of a book. I've never seen artwork quite like this. Its "Heavy Metal" by way of Michelangelo with the richest, most psychedelic colors I think I've ever seen in a graphic novel.
And the trippiness doesn't stop with the artwork. This is an absolutely action packed, very sharp and funny space opera that barely gives the reader a chance to take a breath. I finished it in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down.
I LOVED this and I cannot wait to find out what happens.
Just wow.
Sometimes that's all I got.
Somewhere in a distant galaxy two women are on very different paths. Vess has just taken her vows as a "none" of the Renunciation, the leading religion in her world. She has a brilliant mind and a firm belief that this is what she is meant to do with her life. Freighter pilot Grix has placed her faith in Lux, the Amazon of outer space and the most powerful corporation in the galaxy. She travels the stars making deliveries with a ragtag crew while trying to wrangle her baby brother who shes raising to spare him from their rotten parents.
These two polar opposites are thrown together when they both discover a dark conspiracy by their superiors to defraud millions of believers in the path and patrons of Lux. Pretty soon they're trapped in Grix's woefully ill equipped freighter with her wild and crazy crew being pursued by enemies with enough power and money to blast them into stardust.
This is a gorgeous acid trip of a book. I've never seen artwork quite like this. Its "Heavy Metal" by way of Michelangelo with the richest, most psychedelic colors I think I've ever seen in a graphic novel.
And the trippiness doesn't stop with the artwork. This is an absolutely action packed, very sharp and funny space opera that barely gives the reader a chance to take a breath. I finished it in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down.
I LOVED this and I cannot wait to find out what happens.
December 5, 2019
As with Ms. Marvel, the characters are stronger than the plot, but the whole thing is quite pleasant. We have a spaceship with a ragtag crew a la Firefly on the run from a big bad corporation and a corrupt religious organization. Wilson uses the sci fi setting to make some on-the-nose but valid points about Amazon, the gig economy, and rampant consumerism.
November 7, 2020
So it's a critique of consumer culture and Amazon and... nunneries? I'd kind of forgotten nunneries still existed, tbh. Well, let's call it a critique of corrupt religious organizations, that makes more sense.
There are aliens of different colors et al cosmetic embellishments, but they basically all act like modern Americans. There are a couple pretty standard space shoot-outs.
It was okay.
There are aliens of different colors et al cosmetic embellishments, but they basically all act like modern Americans. There are a couple pretty standard space shoot-outs.
It was okay.
July 6, 2020
A promising start. Could turn into a good series.
There is some standard space-opera stuff. A crew in a small ship fights with another ship, then a bigger ship, then an even bigger one, then a still bigger one, then is finally rescued (sort-of) by the biggest ship of all.
But there are twists on the formula. Examples: space nuns (called "nones"), a flying monastery, a space shipping company that is bigger than most governments (sound like Amazon?), a government too scared to go against either the nuns or the company, citizens who know it is all corrupts and just shrug their shoulders.
The colors are wild and crazy, but not too crazy as in Christian Ward's other book ODY-C.
There is some standard space-opera stuff. A crew in a small ship fights with another ship, then a bigger ship, then an even bigger one, then a still bigger one, then is finally rescued (sort-of) by the biggest ship of all.
But there are twists on the formula. Examples: space nuns (called "nones"), a flying monastery, a space shipping company that is bigger than most governments (sound like Amazon?), a government too scared to go against either the nuns or the company, citizens who know it is all corrupts and just shrug their shoulders.
The colors are wild and crazy, but not too crazy as in Christian Ward's other book ODY-C.
June 29, 2020
A solid start to a world of corporate interest, aliens, and a religious None's. The artwork is saturated and vivid. The humor is scare but organic and unforced. I look forward to learning more about this world. I will be continuing with the series.
July 23, 2020
I enjoyed vol. 1 of Invisible Kingdom, about a novitiate who uncovers corruption inside her order connecting to the government and connects with a spaceship crew - I feel the world is established and just want more!
December 16, 2022
Idk. It wasn't bad, it just didn't blow me away either. I may or may not continue with this series.
January 25, 2020
I kept waiting for the big reveal in Invisible Kingdom and was somewhat disappointed to close this first volume with the knowledge that it really is just about Big Business and Big Religion teaming up to be the Big Bad. How original! The heavy-handed Amazon references were not my cup of tea. The space battles and Firefly-esque found family were much more appealing. Still, though, I really wanted a third act twist and the lack of one knocked my interest in Invisible Kingdom down a peg.
Your interest in Invisible Kingdom might lie entirely in your ability to enjoy Christian Ward's art. It's bright and fast and very cool, but more often than not looks like an incomplete preparatory sketch that should have been relegated to the bonus materials. It mostly worked for me. Mostly.
Your interest in Invisible Kingdom might lie entirely in your ability to enjoy Christian Ward's art. It's bright and fast and very cool, but more often than not looks like an incomplete preparatory sketch that should have been relegated to the bonus materials. It mostly worked for me. Mostly.
October 22, 2019
My introduction to G. Willow Wilson was reading her seminal run of Ms. Marvel with artist Adrian Alphona that introduced the world to the 16-year-old Muslim superhero Kamala Khan. Not only did this comic book push Marvel’s blend of heroism and domesticity to a whole new and modern level, it also pushed forward the presence of diversity and female characters in the medium. Through her Muslim background, Wilson has explored religion and diversity through her comics and with her first creator-owned work at Dark Horse (under the editorial belt of Karen Berger), these ideas are projected in a galaxy far, far away.
Please click here for my full review.
Please click here for my full review.
August 26, 2019
3.5
I got all 5 issues in a bundle (the bookstore put them all together as a set; total of $5), so I don't have this volume but I do have the 5 issues it will contain. Which, was a good thing because all 5 issues cover the first arc of this story.
It follow nuns (Nones), space, embezzlement and government corruption. Also, space is gay, non-binary and pan. So I appreciate that the characters do not look actually female or male but a combination of the two and also very ambiguous...as space should be.
For me, the artwork is the star of this comic. The world is so intricately and brightly colored I loved that the colors were both vibrant and cool (not a harsh and bright coloring). It's what really drove the story for me and helped lift the plot where the plot felt unoriginal.
The pacing and plot felt a little rushed for me. I wished there could have been a little more information thrown in with the dialogue...but I'm sure that those questions will be answered in following issues. Also, I sense some conflict in the romance that happened in here--which had no development, so it felt kind of random.
I won't be continuing this series, but I am glad I checked it out!
I got all 5 issues in a bundle (the bookstore put them all together as a set; total of $5), so I don't have this volume but I do have the 5 issues it will contain. Which, was a good thing because all 5 issues cover the first arc of this story.
It follow nuns (Nones), space, embezzlement and government corruption. Also, space is gay, non-binary and pan. So I appreciate that the characters do not look actually female or male but a combination of the two and also very ambiguous...as space should be.
For me, the artwork is the star of this comic. The world is so intricately and brightly colored I loved that the colors were both vibrant and cool (not a harsh and bright coloring). It's what really drove the story for me and helped lift the plot where the plot felt unoriginal.
The pacing and plot felt a little rushed for me. I wished there could have been a little more information thrown in with the dialogue...but I'm sure that those questions will be answered in following issues. Also, I sense some conflict in the romance that happened in here--which had no development, so it felt kind of random.
I won't be continuing this series, but I am glad I checked it out!
August 13, 2020
A TRUE BELIEVER AND A CYNIC TAKE ON THE CHURCH AND...AMAZON INC.?
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
I felt this series owed a lot to Saga and similar allegorical space opera fare, but it was very earnest, direct and beautifully illustrated. I will certainly continue to seek the true path in the next volume.
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
I felt this series owed a lot to Saga and similar allegorical space opera fare, but it was very earnest, direct and beautifully illustrated. I will certainly continue to seek the true path in the next volume.
November 12, 2019
Kdyz sem pred pul rokem cetl prvni cislo, tak sem si rikal, ze tohle by mohlo bejt dobry. Talentovanej kreativni tym (G. Willow Wilson a Christian Ward), super kresba a nadeje, ze Berger Books by mohlo bejt novy Vertigo... A po precteni prvniho booku, kterej zahrnuje prvnich pet sesitu, nejsem rozhodne zklamanej a tesim se na dalsi.
Pribeh je zasazenej v malym solarnim systemu o ctyrech planetach, kde na jedny strane sefuje obri "Amazon-like" korporat Lux, kterej ma kolem prstu omotany materialisticky obyvatele, ktery napjate ocekavaj dalsi zasilku, a v opozici je jakejsi rad jeptisek, ktery naopak vedou svoje ovecky k tomu, aby se zbavili pozemskejch statku.
Zpocatku oddelene sledujeme pribeh dvou hlavnich hrdinek. Prvni z nich je ostrilena pilotka Grix, ktera se svoji posatkou pracuje jako kuryr pro Lux a druhou pak mlada jeptiska Vess, ktera prave vstoupila do radu. Obe nezavisle na sobe odhalej, ze rivalita mezi korporatem a radem neni zas tak zhava a jejich osudy se brzo nenavratne propletou.
Pokud mate chut na paradni sci-fi dobrodruzstvi s paradni kresbou a se subtilnim presahem do socialni kritiky, tak by Invisible Kingdom nemelo uniknout vasi pozornosti.
Pribeh je zasazenej v malym solarnim systemu o ctyrech planetach, kde na jedny strane sefuje obri "Amazon-like" korporat Lux, kterej ma kolem prstu omotany materialisticky obyvatele, ktery napjate ocekavaj dalsi zasilku, a v opozici je jakejsi rad jeptisek, ktery naopak vedou svoje ovecky k tomu, aby se zbavili pozemskejch statku.
Zpocatku oddelene sledujeme pribeh dvou hlavnich hrdinek. Prvni z nich je ostrilena pilotka Grix, ktera se svoji posatkou pracuje jako kuryr pro Lux a druhou pak mlada jeptiska Vess, ktera prave vstoupila do radu. Obe nezavisle na sobe odhalej, ze rivalita mezi korporatem a radem neni zas tak zhava a jejich osudy se brzo nenavratne propletou.
Pokud mate chut na paradni sci-fi dobrodruzstvi s paradni kresbou a se subtilnim presahem do socialni kritiky, tak by Invisible Kingdom nemelo uniknout vasi pozornosti.
March 30, 2021
Book blurb: In a distant galaxy, two women discover an inconceivable conspiracy between the world's most dominant religion and an all-powerful mega corporation.
Really, that is all you need to know. I really liked the art here, the colors ad world building is good, but there's something missing/lacking here. I liked the diversity on the page, the women-centered yarn, and what could be better than uncovering a conspiracy and having to run for your lives? And yet .....
My video review: https://youtu.be/VB0Mfy1uBJ0
Really, that is all you need to know. I really liked the art here, the colors ad world building is good, but there's something missing/lacking here. I liked the diversity on the page, the women-centered yarn, and what could be better than uncovering a conspiracy and having to run for your lives? And yet .....
My video review: https://youtu.be/VB0Mfy1uBJ0
May 24, 2020
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
I feel like I should have liked this one... but I didn’t. I think it’s a case of cool ideas, bad execution.
Simply put, it’s poorly written in terms of both storytelling and dialogue. I also didn’t care for the artwork either. The characters are very bland and uninteresting. The story seems neat (even if sometimes confusing due to already mentioned poor storytelling) and it is fast paced but that doesn’t save this book.
Overall I didn’t like this one. Disliked though not terrible.
2/5
I feel like I should have liked this one... but I didn’t. I think it’s a case of cool ideas, bad execution.
Simply put, it’s poorly written in terms of both storytelling and dialogue. I also didn’t care for the artwork either. The characters are very bland and uninteresting. The story seems neat (even if sometimes confusing due to already mentioned poor storytelling) and it is fast paced but that doesn’t save this book.
Overall I didn’t like this one. Disliked though not terrible.
2/5
October 27, 2019
Tackling alot of different difficult themes into one book is hard however thr author seems to do it well however, the sense if worldbuilding and compelling world at that gets lost amongst her message.
September 23, 2023
I originally read this in the individual monthly issues, and then returned now for a complete reading of the first story arc. I'm a bit surprised that this didn't earn a higher average rating on Goodreads despite earning some book industry awards. I consider INVISIBLE KINGDOM one of the best science-fiction series in comics for 2019. However, I don't read as much science-fiction as I used to, and what seems fresh to me may be too-familiar tropes to seasoned genre readers.
In a beautifully imagined future world by Wilson that is equally gorgeous in its depiction by Ward there is dangerous collusion occurring between a cruel mega-corporation and the leaders of a disciplined religious order. Simultaneously, the conspiracy is discovered by a freighter pilot sub-contracting to the corporation and the newest apprentice to the religion. They combine forces in order to survive and expose the culprits.
There is plenty of social commentary by Wilson within the story and it's pretty much on-the-nose as regards retailing mega-corporations, politics, religion, consumerism, and social perceptions. When confronted with a uncomfortable truth, the average citizen is too jaded and apathetic to react and respond correctly. The Lux Corporation is a futuristic Amazon, delivering packages between planets and abusing their workforce. The main characters led by female pilot Grix operate a delivery service and the fact that Lux corporation neglected to repair an onboard system on the spaceship is ironically what leads to the discovery of a dark secret between Lux and the Renunciation monastery. I also love the deft touch by Wilson to describe the students of the religious order as "nones", and not nuns. Equally ironic, is that the Mother Proxima decides new recruit Tessa should be the one who consolidates and organizes the monastery's records with "discretion", which leads to her uncovering the connection between corporation and religious order. She does not handle it discretely.
The first story arc ends with a disappointing but not surprising reaction from the public. At least Grix, Tessa and their companions remain free to pursue new adventures, which I'll gladly read.
In a beautifully imagined future world by Wilson that is equally gorgeous in its depiction by Ward there is dangerous collusion occurring between a cruel mega-corporation and the leaders of a disciplined religious order. Simultaneously, the conspiracy is discovered by a freighter pilot sub-contracting to the corporation and the newest apprentice to the religion. They combine forces in order to survive and expose the culprits.
There is plenty of social commentary by Wilson within the story and it's pretty much on-the-nose as regards retailing mega-corporations, politics, religion, consumerism, and social perceptions. When confronted with a uncomfortable truth, the average citizen is too jaded and apathetic to react and respond correctly. The Lux Corporation is a futuristic Amazon, delivering packages between planets and abusing their workforce. The main characters led by female pilot Grix operate a delivery service and the fact that Lux corporation neglected to repair an onboard system on the spaceship is ironically what leads to the discovery of a dark secret between Lux and the Renunciation monastery. I also love the deft touch by Wilson to describe the students of the religious order as "nones", and not nuns. Equally ironic, is that the Mother Proxima decides new recruit Tessa should be the one who consolidates and organizes the monastery's records with "discretion", which leads to her uncovering the connection between corporation and religious order. She does not handle it discretely.
The first story arc ends with a disappointing but not surprising reaction from the public. At least Grix, Tessa and their companions remain free to pursue new adventures, which I'll gladly read.
November 27, 2019
All are on the path, but few are strong enough to reach the Invisible Kingdom. For the young Roolian Vess, joining the Nones is a dream come true, but her faith is tested almost immediately when she discovers her order's secret, an alliance between groups with seemingly opposing goals. This same secret is also discovered by the crew of a Lux delivery ship. Grix doesn't want trouble for her or her crew, but she's not one to back down from a fight that chooses her. By teaming up with Vess, they all hope to survive the powerful, greedy organizations which hunt them, and reveal the truth to their solar system. Wilson and Ward have created a sci-fi feast, with wonderful worldbuilding, character-revealing dialogue, and visuals that are equally futuristic and wondrous. Space and space travel in particular have a distinct flare to them. Although the side characters have had little time to express themselves so far, the main pair have been sufficiently established. Vess and Grix have both had their dreams dashed by reality, but they are tough and principled, making them sympathetic underdogs with their own strengths. Through the illustrations we are drawn into exhilarating sequences where Grix displays her amazing piloting skills. There can be some confusion as to what she did exactly to win at times, however engagement seems to be prioritized over detailing specific actions during these scenes. The story itself is well-balanced between its character moments, action, and thought-provoking questions on faith and truth in a time where commercialism and materialism trump all. It's one tiny crew against an entire way of life, and there is plenty of the path still to trend in this intriguing new series.
Copy provided by Penguin Random House, distributor of Dark Horse Comics.
Copy provided by Penguin Random House, distributor of Dark Horse Comics.
March 19, 2021
Una novicia, Vess, descubre que la congregación religiosa a la que sirve se financia a través de Lux, una macrocorporación que supone su enemigo. Unos mensajeros que trabajan para Lux, liderados por la capitana Grix, descubren una serie de irregularidades en las cuentas que se vinculan a las novicias. Todo esto en un contexto de space opera. En eso se queda el primer volumen (En el camino) de Invisible Kingdom y me temo que será donde yo también me quede.
G. Willow Wilson es una autora de cómics que ha conseguido un gran respaldo en el mundo de los tebeos gracias sobre todo a la cocreación de Kamala Khan, la Ms. Marvel musulmana de la Casa de las Ideas. En estos años, Willow Wilson se ha convertido en portavoz de las autoras en el cómic estadounidense y también de los creadores musulmanes.
Como reconoce en el epílogo de Invisible Kingdom, le apetecía escribir sobre la fe, una monja en el espacio, una conspiración y space opera. No hay mucho más, salvo la confirmación de que los Premios Eisner funcionan como otros premios de otras artes: más por intereses, como la banalización de la inclusión, que, en realidad, por lo buena o mala que sea una obra.
La premisa de Invisible Kingdom es lo más interesante, pero, a partir de ahí, se dedica a girar una y otra vez alrededor de esa conspiración sin lograr en ningún momento engancharme como lector. Al trasfondo heredado de las novicias de Dune, encontramos aquí la sensación de haber llegado a una fiesta a la mitad de la celebración: no nos enteramos bien de quiénes son los personajes ni de qué es este mundo, y cuando lo sabemos, tampoco nos interesa demasiado.
Para ser claros, Invisible Kingdom, en sus "mejores momentos", recuerda al peor capítulo de Saga de Brian K. Vaughan y Fiona Staples. Por mucha space opera que tenga, nunca logra la frescura de Saga. Los personajes no atrapan y sin ello, la historia transcurre lentamente por sus primeros números donde solo queda claro que la religión está corrupta, que puede que la fe no y que la conspiración pone a los mensajeros y la novicia protagonista en el punto de mira de la fe y el capitalismo intergaláctico. Muchos números para contar tan poco.
¡La crítica continúa en el blog!
G. Willow Wilson es una autora de cómics que ha conseguido un gran respaldo en el mundo de los tebeos gracias sobre todo a la cocreación de Kamala Khan, la Ms. Marvel musulmana de la Casa de las Ideas. En estos años, Willow Wilson se ha convertido en portavoz de las autoras en el cómic estadounidense y también de los creadores musulmanes.
Como reconoce en el epílogo de Invisible Kingdom, le apetecía escribir sobre la fe, una monja en el espacio, una conspiración y space opera. No hay mucho más, salvo la confirmación de que los Premios Eisner funcionan como otros premios de otras artes: más por intereses, como la banalización de la inclusión, que, en realidad, por lo buena o mala que sea una obra.
La premisa de Invisible Kingdom es lo más interesante, pero, a partir de ahí, se dedica a girar una y otra vez alrededor de esa conspiración sin lograr en ningún momento engancharme como lector. Al trasfondo heredado de las novicias de Dune, encontramos aquí la sensación de haber llegado a una fiesta a la mitad de la celebración: no nos enteramos bien de quiénes son los personajes ni de qué es este mundo, y cuando lo sabemos, tampoco nos interesa demasiado.
Para ser claros, Invisible Kingdom, en sus "mejores momentos", recuerda al peor capítulo de Saga de Brian K. Vaughan y Fiona Staples. Por mucha space opera que tenga, nunca logra la frescura de Saga. Los personajes no atrapan y sin ello, la historia transcurre lentamente por sus primeros números donde solo queda claro que la religión está corrupta, que puede que la fe no y que la conspiración pone a los mensajeros y la novicia protagonista en el punto de mira de la fe y el capitalismo intergaláctico. Muchos números para contar tan poco.
¡La crítica continúa en el blog!
April 1, 2021
ANTI-CAPITALIST FOUND FAMILY SPACESHIPS!!!!!!!! ROMANCE AND FAITH AND HOPE!!!!!! STUNNING STARSCAPES!!!!!
February 5, 2021
One star for some of the ugliest art I have ever seen and a story that is borderline incoherent.
When I say the art is ugly, what I really mean is lazy. There are a LOT of times when characters will have blurry or nonexistent faces, and I’m not just talking about random people in the background. MAIN CHARACTERS are drawn without faces in many panels. There is one notable scene that made me laugh wherein ALL our main crew members are gathered around a table and the art depicts them at about middle distance, and NONE of them have faces! Not even the SUGGESTION of noses, mouths, or eye holes. If you don’t care enough about your characters to even draw them, why should I care about them at all either? Likewise, the action sequences are drawn in such a way that makes them very confusing to follow.
The story itself is a terrible mix of too rushed and too full of painfully obvious metaphors. Lux is Amazon. I know this because the same characters will wax on about how everyone thinks happiness is just waiting for your next package delivery. Which sounds clever until you hear it every few pages at which point it just sounds tiresome. Besides, none of these themes are really pushed anywhere meaningful anyway, so they just become surface level observations. Similarly, the religion in this story is a knock-off Catholicism, but without any complexity and only insofar as there is a monastic order of Nones. (Get it? Nones instead of Nuns?! Gosh, how witty!) Again, this could have been an opportunity to create an interesting space religion or an opportunity to say something about religion deeper than…organized religions can be corrupt sometimes?
And when I say the story is rushed, let me give you a singular example that pretty much goes for every plot point in this comic.
ALL the storylines are this rushed and ridiculous, making characters’ motivations incoherent, idiotic, and just hard to follow. Don’t be tricked by this beautiful cover (as I was). There really isn’t that much going on in this comic.
When I say the art is ugly, what I really mean is lazy. There are a LOT of times when characters will have blurry or nonexistent faces, and I’m not just talking about random people in the background. MAIN CHARACTERS are drawn without faces in many panels. There is one notable scene that made me laugh wherein ALL our main crew members are gathered around a table and the art depicts them at about middle distance, and NONE of them have faces! Not even the SUGGESTION of noses, mouths, or eye holes. If you don’t care enough about your characters to even draw them, why should I care about them at all either? Likewise, the action sequences are drawn in such a way that makes them very confusing to follow.
The story itself is a terrible mix of too rushed and too full of painfully obvious metaphors. Lux is Amazon. I know this because the same characters will wax on about how everyone thinks happiness is just waiting for your next package delivery. Which sounds clever until you hear it every few pages at which point it just sounds tiresome. Besides, none of these themes are really pushed anywhere meaningful anyway, so they just become surface level observations. Similarly, the religion in this story is a knock-off Catholicism, but without any complexity and only insofar as there is a monastic order of Nones. (Get it? Nones instead of Nuns?! Gosh, how witty!) Again, this could have been an opportunity to create an interesting space religion or an opportunity to say something about religion deeper than…organized religions can be corrupt sometimes?
And when I say the story is rushed, let me give you a singular example that pretty much goes for every plot point in this comic.
ALL the storylines are this rushed and ridiculous, making characters’ motivations incoherent, idiotic, and just hard to follow. Don’t be tricked by this beautiful cover (as I was). There really isn’t that much going on in this comic.
August 1, 2022
Daha önce Ms. Marvel reboot'uyla tanıdığımız G. Willow Wilson tarafından yazılmış, çizimlerini ise yeni tanıştığım bir çizer olan Christian Ward'ın yaptığı bilim-kurgu hikayesi.
Yozlaşma dolu bir dünyada Lux adlı devasa bir şirket için, gezegenler arası nakliye gemisi pilotluğu yapan Grix ile, the Renunciation'ın manastırına rahibe olarak katılmış Vess'in yollarının kesişme hikayesi.
Hikayenin geçtiği evren, tüm siyasi nüfuzun bir çeşit gezegenler arası Amazon olan Lux ile, Katolik Kilisesi'nin, siyasal islam ile bütünleşmiş haline benzeyen ve mottosu "Görünmez Krallığa uzanan yol" olan the Renunciation (tr: feragat) arasında paylaşıldığı, diz boyu yozlaşmaya batmış, geleneksel bir siyasi otoritenin ancak teoride yönetimde kalabildiği bir güneş sistemi, distopik bir high-fantasy bilim kurgu diyarı.
Karakterler ise bu tip hikayelerde genelde karşılaştığımız tipte. Firefly, SW Rebels, Futurama, Cowboy Bebop ve daha nicelerinde sıklıkla gördüğümüz serseri, geçimsiz, derme çatma bir tayfaya komuta eden, asi ama kendine göre bir onu kodu mevcut, elini kirletmekten çekinmeyen, macera kokan Grix'in (biri lezbiyen Han Solo yazmış hatta, LOL) yanına denge unsuru olarak eklenmiş, inançları için halkının adetlerine ve hayati ihtiyaçlarına sırt çevirmiş, güya adanmış, teknik olarak yetenekli, Amerikalı vasat bir konformist yazarın gözünden bakıldığında pek sorunlu, aman pek yazık ona -ay uzatamayacağım daha fazla- yavan bir "acı çeken liseli, zeki, uzay muhafazakarı kız" işte olan Vess.
Grix'in, Lux tarafından y��rütülen ve listelerde gözükmeyen büyükçe bir para transferi operasyonunu keşfetmesi ve Vess'in, Scriptorian (Bir Türkçe karşılığı varsa ben bilmiyorum. Manastırlarda eski belgeleri el yazmalarını vs. düzenleyen adamların yaptığı iş bu. Vikings'te Athelstan'ın kaçırılmadan önceki işi) olarak çalışmaya başladığı manastırda, baş rahibeye ait yüklü hesapları bulması ile yolları kesişir. Ve doğru düzgün bir motivasyonları olmamasına rağmen, tüm hayatlarını çöpe atıp buna karşı savaşmaya ka... Ay yazarken sıkıldım yemin ediyorum, bu neymiş ya, dibine kadar klişe işte. Erdemli kahramanlarımıza ciyuvv ciyuvv diye lazer falan sıkıyorlar sonra da...
Yüzlerce kez tanık olduğumuz dinamiklere kendini dayandıran kitap, maalesef mekanik açıdan da tatmin edici olmaktan hayli uzak. Hikayenin Grix tarafı çok kötü olmamakla birlikte, Vess tarafı oldukça aceleye gelmiş ve inandırıcılıktan uzak görünüyor. Vess o kadar hızlı bir şeylere inanıp o kadar hızlı inancını kaybediyor ki okurken başınız dönüyor, geride kalıyorsunuz. Yazar, panellerle zamanı belirleyen kendisi olmasına, hikayenin ritmi üzerinde mutlak kontrol sahibi olmasına rağmen, daima önden koşturup gidiyor. Yakalamak için de anlatamadığı şeyleri anlatabilmiş gibi yapmamız gerekiyor. E zorunda mıyım? (bkz: eserin adı zorunda mıyım) Ortaya çıkan sonuç okura, "İki gün içinde ne oldu da böyle oldu şimdi?" diye düşündürüyor sıklıkla. Sonuç itibariyle tüm hikaye inandırıcılıktan uzaklaşıyor, karakterlerin motivasyonları anlamsızlaşıyor, kurdukları ilişkileri içselleştirmek de aldıkları kararları ciddiye almak da imkansızlaşıyor. Zaten tahmin edilebilirlik sınırlarından bir türlü uzaklaşamaması bir sorunken, daha önce Ms. Marvel ile de kanıtlamış olduğu kurgusal yeteneksizliği (ki bu noktada hatırlayalım; bu hanım kızımızın daha önce yazdığı Ms. Marvel reboot'u, "ayy kahverengi insanlardan süper kahraman yazmışlaar, bu ortadoğu fareleri ne kadar da şirin yaaa" içerikli övgüler toplamıştı. Ancak hemen her yönden hakiki bir bok festivaliydi.) eklenince ayranlar dökülüyor, tatlar iyice kaçıyor.
Okurken bir diğer rahatsızlığım da fizik kurallarından aşırı bihaberlik oldu. Eh buna mı takıldın diyebilirsiniz, takıldım evet. Yani, tabii burada bir hard science-fiction okuyor değiliz, gemilerin hızlanma vektörlerini hesaplayıp tablolar çizen bir manyak da değilim (olmaya baya yakınım ama yine de değilim). Ama ben bir şeyi okurken, senin bana e bu hareketi yaparlarsa bütün mürettabat oluşan G ile zaten anlık olarak ölür'ü düşündürmüyor olman lazım. Söz gelimi Star Wars izlerken hiç birimiz (veya bağcıyı dövmek konusunda tatlı bir telaş içinde kavranan Trekkieler hariç hiç birimiz) "Bu Tie-Fighter'lar uzayda, havanın olmadığı yerde nasıl ses çıkarıyor?" diye sormuyoruz. Biz de biliyoruz lan uzayda ses transferinin mümkün olmadığını ama işte bu evrenin en erotik sesi diye ağzımızdan salya saça saça izliyoruz (tabii son üç filmi izlemiyoruz, Episode 7-8-9 seven fetöcüdür!). Çünkü içine girdiğimiz atmosfer, tüm bunları unutturuyor ve dünyamızın fizik kurallarının dışına çıkıldığında değil, ancak o anlatının koyduğu kuralların dışına çıkıldığında irkiliyoruz (tıpkı ep7-8-9'da olduğu gibi, ulan Disney!) burada da gemi, tüm mürettebatı anlık olarak öldürebilecek hamleler yaptıktan sonra, sadece bir göz devirip geçebilecekken ben, sen bir de bunun mürettebat tarafından fark edildiği ama arkadaşların sadece hafifçe rahatsız olduğuna dair bir panel koyuyorsan, ben doğal olarak senin ecdadına sövüyorum.
Çizimlerine gelince; Açıkçası hikayenin kendisinden çok daha kaliteli görseller var elimizde. Hatta boşa harcanmış desem yeridir. Christian Ward genel olarak güzel bir iş koymuş ortaya. Gemi tasarımları çok değişikli, çok fantastişli değil -Bana süsü azaltılmış Warhammer 40k gemilerini hatırlattı- ama eğlenceli görünüyorlar. Uzay ise pek görkemli. Geniş planları görmek çoğu zaman keyif veriyor, haddini aşan sürelerde izlediğim paneller oldu. Parlak renkleri ve kontrastı kullanmayı da pek seven bir çizer kendisi. Karakter tasarımları, eciş bücüş bin bir türlü uzaylı gördüğümüz şu bilim-kurgu alemlerine yeni bir şey getirmiyor, hayli düz çoğunlukla. Fakat karakter çizimlerinin de atmosfere uygun olduğunu düşünüyorum. Ara sıra çok baştan savma bir iki panel sırıtabiliyor, genel ahengi bozabiliyor. Yine de ben bütünü itibariyle ortaya konulan görseller bütününü beğendim. Bazı yönlerden webisode'ları da andırıyor.
Hikayenin bu ilk cildini takip eden volume 2 ve 3 de hali hazırda markette mevcut(hikaye tamamlanıyor mu bilmiyorum) ve puanlarının biraz daha yüksek olması, bir ihtimal işleri biraz daha toparlayabilmiş oldukları olasılığını akla getiriyor. Kuvvetle muhtemel bir noktada "Ne yaptı yav bunlar?" merağına teslim olur, devamını da okurum. Ama eninde sonunda, özü itibariyle zaten bin kez sarf edilmiş bir retoriğin tekrarından ne kadar hayır gelir bilemiyorum. Yanlış anlaşılmasın, "ay öyle kötü, böyle kötü, içimiz kıyıldı dandiklikten" seviyesinde bir eser değil bu. Sadece vasatın bu derece yakınında gezen, kendine benzeyen onlarcası arasından ayrışacak herhangi bir özelliği olmayan, fazla klişe bir iş. "Bunu okuyacağıma X okumalıyım" önermesini tamamlayan o kadar fazla X var ki. Tüm dünyayı okumuş, kurutmuş, artık omo kutusunun ardında galaksiler arası çatışma arayacak kadar aç sci-fi'cılar varsa aramızda, atlasın kaçırmasın, ne diyeyim.
Son olarak kitap, geçtiğimiz günlerde "Görünmez Krallık" ismiyle Karakarga tarafından çevrildi ve şu anda raflarda olmalı. Orijinalini okuduğum için çevirisi ve tr versiyonunun baskı kalitesi hakkında yorum yapamayacağım. Ancak 31 Temmuz 2022 itibariyle 120TL etiketle satışa sunulan bir çizgi roman olarak, o paranın karşılığını verebileceğine ben inanmıyorum. 5/10
Yozlaşma dolu bir dünyada Lux adlı devasa bir şirket için, gezegenler arası nakliye gemisi pilotluğu yapan Grix ile, the Renunciation'ın manastırına rahibe olarak katılmış Vess'in yollarının kesişme hikayesi.
Hikayenin geçtiği evren, tüm siyasi nüfuzun bir çeşit gezegenler arası Amazon olan Lux ile, Katolik Kilisesi'nin, siyasal islam ile bütünleşmiş haline benzeyen ve mottosu "Görünmez Krallığa uzanan yol" olan the Renunciation (tr: feragat) arasında paylaşıldığı, diz boyu yozlaşmaya batmış, geleneksel bir siyasi otoritenin ancak teoride yönetimde kalabildiği bir güneş sistemi, distopik bir high-fantasy bilim kurgu diyarı.
Karakterler ise bu tip hikayelerde genelde karşılaştığımız tipte. Firefly, SW Rebels, Futurama, Cowboy Bebop ve daha nicelerinde sıklıkla gördüğümüz serseri, geçimsiz, derme çatma bir tayfaya komuta eden, asi ama kendine göre bir onu kodu mevcut, elini kirletmekten çekinmeyen, macera kokan Grix'in (biri lezbiyen Han Solo yazmış hatta, LOL) yanına denge unsuru olarak eklenmiş, inançları için halkının adetlerine ve hayati ihtiyaçlarına sırt çevirmiş, güya adanmış, teknik olarak yetenekli, Amerikalı vasat bir konformist yazarın gözünden bakıldığında pek sorunlu, aman pek yazık ona -ay uzatamayacağım daha fazla- yavan bir "acı çeken liseli, zeki, uzay muhafazakarı kız" işte olan Vess.
Grix'in, Lux tarafından y��rütülen ve listelerde gözükmeyen büyükçe bir para transferi operasyonunu keşfetmesi ve Vess'in, Scriptorian (Bir Türkçe karşılığı varsa ben bilmiyorum. Manastırlarda eski belgeleri el yazmalarını vs. düzenleyen adamların yaptığı iş bu. Vikings'te Athelstan'ın kaçırılmadan önceki işi) olarak çalışmaya başladığı manastırda, baş rahibeye ait yüklü hesapları bulması ile yolları kesişir. Ve doğru düzgün bir motivasyonları olmamasına rağmen, tüm hayatlarını çöpe atıp buna karşı savaşmaya ka... Ay yazarken sıkıldım yemin ediyorum, bu neymiş ya, dibine kadar klişe işte. Erdemli kahramanlarımıza ciyuvv ciyuvv diye lazer falan sıkıyorlar sonra da...
Yüzlerce kez tanık olduğumuz dinamiklere kendini dayandıran kitap, maalesef mekanik açıdan da tatmin edici olmaktan hayli uzak. Hikayenin Grix tarafı çok kötü olmamakla birlikte, Vess tarafı oldukça aceleye gelmiş ve inandırıcılıktan uzak görünüyor. Vess o kadar hızlı bir şeylere inanıp o kadar hızlı inancını kaybediyor ki okurken başınız dönüyor, geride kalıyorsunuz. Yazar, panellerle zamanı belirleyen kendisi olmasına, hikayenin ritmi üzerinde mutlak kontrol sahibi olmasına rağmen, daima önden koşturup gidiyor. Yakalamak için de anlatamadığı şeyleri anlatabilmiş gibi yapmamız gerekiyor. E zorunda mıyım? (bkz: eserin adı zorunda mıyım) Ortaya çıkan sonuç okura, "İki gün içinde ne oldu da böyle oldu şimdi?" diye düşündürüyor sıklıkla. Sonuç itibariyle tüm hikaye inandırıcılıktan uzaklaşıyor, karakterlerin motivasyonları anlamsızlaşıyor, kurdukları ilişkileri içselleştirmek de aldıkları kararları ciddiye almak da imkansızlaşıyor. Zaten tahmin edilebilirlik sınırlarından bir türlü uzaklaşamaması bir sorunken, daha önce Ms. Marvel ile de kanıtlamış olduğu kurgusal yeteneksizliği (ki bu noktada hatırlayalım; bu hanım kızımızın daha önce yazdığı Ms. Marvel reboot'u, "ayy kahverengi insanlardan süper kahraman yazmışlaar, bu ortadoğu fareleri ne kadar da şirin yaaa" içerikli övgüler toplamıştı. Ancak hemen her yönden hakiki bir bok festivaliydi.) eklenince ayranlar dökülüyor, tatlar iyice kaçıyor.
Okurken bir diğer rahatsızlığım da fizik kurallarından aşırı bihaberlik oldu. Eh buna mı takıldın diyebilirsiniz, takıldım evet. Yani, tabii burada bir hard science-fiction okuyor değiliz, gemilerin hızlanma vektörlerini hesaplayıp tablolar çizen bir manyak da değilim (olmaya baya yakınım ama yine de değilim). Ama ben bir şeyi okurken, senin bana e bu hareketi yaparlarsa bütün mürettabat oluşan G ile zaten anlık olarak ölür'ü düşündürmüyor olman lazım. Söz gelimi Star Wars izlerken hiç birimiz (veya bağcıyı dövmek konusunda tatlı bir telaş içinde kavranan Trekkieler hariç hiç birimiz) "Bu Tie-Fighter'lar uzayda, havanın olmadığı yerde nasıl ses çıkarıyor?" diye sormuyoruz. Biz de biliyoruz lan uzayda ses transferinin mümkün olmadığını ama işte bu evrenin en erotik sesi diye ağzımızdan salya saça saça izliyoruz (tabii son üç filmi izlemiyoruz, Episode 7-8-9 seven fetöcüdür!). Çünkü içine girdiğimiz atmosfer, tüm bunları unutturuyor ve dünyamızın fizik kurallarının dışına çıkıldığında değil, ancak o anlatının koyduğu kuralların dışına çıkıldığında irkiliyoruz (tıpkı ep7-8-9'da olduğu gibi, ulan Disney!) burada da gemi, tüm mürettebatı anlık olarak öldürebilecek hamleler yaptıktan sonra, sadece bir göz devirip geçebilecekken ben, sen bir de bunun mürettebat tarafından fark edildiği ama arkadaşların sadece hafifçe rahatsız olduğuna dair bir panel koyuyorsan, ben doğal olarak senin ecdadına sövüyorum.
Çizimlerine gelince; Açıkçası hikayenin kendisinden çok daha kaliteli görseller var elimizde. Hatta boşa harcanmış desem yeridir. Christian Ward genel olarak güzel bir iş koymuş ortaya. Gemi tasarımları çok değişikli, çok fantastişli değil -Bana süsü azaltılmış Warhammer 40k gemilerini hatırlattı- ama eğlenceli görünüyorlar. Uzay ise pek görkemli. Geniş planları görmek çoğu zaman keyif veriyor, haddini aşan sürelerde izlediğim paneller oldu. Parlak renkleri ve kontrastı kullanmayı da pek seven bir çizer kendisi. Karakter tasarımları, eciş bücüş bin bir türlü uzaylı gördüğümüz şu bilim-kurgu alemlerine yeni bir şey getirmiyor, hayli düz çoğunlukla. Fakat karakter çizimlerinin de atmosfere uygun olduğunu düşünüyorum. Ara sıra çok baştan savma bir iki panel sırıtabiliyor, genel ahengi bozabiliyor. Yine de ben bütünü itibariyle ortaya konulan görseller bütününü beğendim. Bazı yönlerden webisode'ları da andırıyor.
Hikayenin bu ilk cildini takip eden volume 2 ve 3 de hali hazırda markette mevcut(hikaye tamamlanıyor mu bilmiyorum) ve puanlarının biraz daha yüksek olması, bir ihtimal işleri biraz daha toparlayabilmiş oldukları olasılığını akla getiriyor. Kuvvetle muhtemel bir noktada "Ne yaptı yav bunlar?" merağına teslim olur, devamını da okurum. Ama eninde sonunda, özü itibariyle zaten bin kez sarf edilmiş bir retoriğin tekrarından ne kadar hayır gelir bilemiyorum. Yanlış anlaşılmasın, "ay öyle kötü, böyle kötü, içimiz kıyıldı dandiklikten" seviyesinde bir eser değil bu. Sadece vasatın bu derece yakınında gezen, kendine benzeyen onlarcası arasından ayrışacak herhangi bir özelliği olmayan, fazla klişe bir iş. "Bunu okuyacağıma X okumalıyım" önermesini tamamlayan o kadar fazla X var ki. Tüm dünyayı okumuş, kurutmuş, artık omo kutusunun ardında galaksiler arası çatışma arayacak kadar aç sci-fi'cılar varsa aramızda, atlasın kaçırmasın, ne diyeyim.
Son olarak kitap, geçtiğimiz günlerde "Görünmez Krallık" ismiyle Karakarga tarafından çevrildi ve şu anda raflarda olmalı. Orijinalini okuduğum için çevirisi ve tr versiyonunun baskı kalitesi hakkında yorum yapamayacağım. Ancak 31 Temmuz 2022 itibariyle 120TL etiketle satışa sunulan bir çizgi roman olarak, o paranın karşılığını verebileceğine ben inanmıyorum. 5/10
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