Outpost Zero, Vol. 3: The Only Living Things

Outpost Zero #10-14

by Sean McKeever, Alexandre Tengfenki (Contributor), Jean-François Beaulieu (Contributor)

Welcome back to the smallest town in the universe! Deep in the Outpost, Alea and Sam make a new friend who knows a lot more than they do, and finally get to ask the questions that have been building since Steven's death... hopefully their friendship can survive the answers.

Collects OUTPOST ZERO #10-14.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Action

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2020

About the author

After writing indie comics (such as the ensemble teen-drama The Waiting Place) for six years, Sean got his big break writing an issue of The Incredible Hulk for Marvel Comics in 2001. Since then, Sean has written hundreds of comics for Marvel, DC Comics and other publishers, including notable runs on Sentinel, Inhumans, Mystique, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Gravity, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Birds of Prey and Teen Titans.

Best known for delivering introspective, character-driven work, Sean also wrote several weeks of the Funky Winkerbean syndicated comic strip, much of which has been reprinted in the celebrated collection, Lisa's story: the other shoe.

In 2005, Sean won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.

Sean continues to write comic books; he also writes for the videogame and animation industries.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find any info as to why, (I honestly didn't look that hard though) but #14 was the last issue of this series. You get a lot of info-dumping and it all feels kind of rushed but at least there's a conclusion. I wasn't completely satisfied but at least this didn't end up like one of Image's other series.

Individual issue reviews: #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14

Total review score: 2.85

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outpost Zero is a biodome in the middle of a freezing planet. The residents have been surviving for generations but not much is known about how they got there, or where they came from. They have just always lived fearful of the outside that could freeze them all. In this the finale of the series Sam and Alea have discovered a hidden robot in the Stem below the biodome. It has chosen to show them whatever it can since its primary purpose is no longer necessary. They find secrets hidden below that they decide to explore and they both find what they were searching for. But just barely.

So sad this is the final story in this series. Although the actually stories I liked but not as much as I wanted to. The entire concept of these graphic novels makes it entirely worth it. A crashed space ship barely surviving on an alien planet? yes please. But the issue I had was I was always left wanting more, and this finale was no exception. I wanted more lore, more information. But I guess when the characters themselves don't know anything about their past why would the reader. And I feel like it ended just as it was getting good.

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[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

S každým ďalším číslom ma to baví viac a viac. Celé sa to posúva neskutočne pomaly, ale naozaj príjemných spôsobom. Je čas spoznať viac postavy, ukazuje sa, čo celý čas zamýšľali, čo ich trápi, prečo sa správajú ako sa správajú a tak nejak sa to s tým mysterioznymi prvkami parádne mieša a tvorí to skvelý príbeh. Furt to je zmiešanina veci pre decká i dospelých, furt sa s každým ďalším ukončením teším na nový book. (Ktorý asi ani nebude, lebo nikde neviem nájsť info o pokračovaní, čo bude škoda jak hovado a bude ma to mrzieť. Toto so zaslúži kľudne ešte raz tak priestoru a nenechať to tak otvorené..)

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

At last, some momentum! We meet the alien, uncover how the colony crashed, learn why Steven walked out into the megastorm. Taken together, the three volumes comprising Outpost Zero feel like the slightly bloated first act of a compelling story.

And then the series ends [womp womp].

Half the main characters still feel superfluous. Unrealized. And the big reveals are really just the first tantalizing steps of reveals. So much needs to be filled in. The series is just now starting to pay off. Le sigh.

Illustration note:
I very much like the way colors are used to ground the different locations and states of mind: blues place you beneath the colony where the alien lives; fuzzy purples capture the permanent happy high in which Mitch's sister exists; yellows for the infirmary in which the colony's dying old wise man rests; reds for the stadium, grays for night scenes, etc. A broader palette for general outdoor daytime settings. So much of this story is confusingly told but we're always spatially and situationally well-oriented, despite frequent same-page location jumps.

Plot points:

--Alea and Sam revisit Otto the droid and make contact with the giant tentacle alien living beneath the colony. They meet Steven, still alive, and remnants of Sam's parents.
--Mitchell helps Lyss get high, even though he is tormented by his sister's addiction. She decides her calling is Medical Team, specifically helping addicts.
--Alea's parents joyfully report to the entire colony that they've found evidence of indigenous life. They're shouted down by the populace then kidnapped and punished by fundamentalist anti-science cultists (McKeever sneaking in some social commentary, there.)
--Sam and Alea's parents figure out what they've been doing and team up with them for further secret explorations. The End.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in a tightly integrated trilogy. Do not read this book unless you have already read the first two books.

This is a deep, slightly brooding example of life on the edge. The inhabitants of outpost zero are alone and isolated. The descendants of the original crew of a crashed colony ship they survive, even thrive, with no knowledge of the outside universe and a slowly degrading hold on the technology and environment that keeps them alive. While most of the outpost dwellers have turned inward and ignore the outside universe preferring to focus on everyday life and its challenges a few dig deeper into the bowls of the station and others explore the frozen wasteland the station is embedded in.

This work reads like a classic Sci Fi coming of age tale and is reminiscent of works by Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke and Pohl Anderson among others.

Unfortunately, this third volume falls short of the promise exhibited by the first two volumes. The book ends with a slight twist, which is barely noticeable and otherwise follows a fairly expected trajectory. Extra points should be awarded for the introduction of the giant cat herding robot but twice as many deducted for the highly cliched benevolent alien that ushers in a Deus ex Machina ending . The ending itself seems rushed and although all the major issues are wrapped up the resolution feels forced and unsatisfying.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For detailed thoughts, listen to my podcast discussion of this book:
https://www.storiedarcs.com/outpost-z...

I loved this book! The ending for Mitch and Lyss are a bit pinched for time, but I still liked it. Inconvenient discovery, the bad PR of scientists, and the witch hunt against them all reminded me of Henrik Ibsen's, "An Enemy of the People." I was SO glad to have a teenage coming-of-age story that did NOT get bogged down in boring romantic tension. The way that the main story concludes is better than I could have imagined.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again, an editorial mess. No previously on page hampers this book from the jump. There are also no issue/chapter breaks. We don't even get to see the individual covers in this weird collection. The story gets super crazy and its hard for me to believe this was the original ending. The science in this science fiction book was all kinds of wacky and the resolution is out of nowhere. The art is pretty static. Overall, a miss especially considering the potential.

[Renato Espinosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a good enough conclution to the story, but dumps a lot of info and ultimetely leaves you disappointed that its the en of the series. I would have liked to keep exploring this world. small spoiler: The fanatically intolerant responce to new facts in the population seems very real world and pushes you to empatise with the mains (and kinda hate the rest ).

[ReadingwithKels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the other volumes. This is the last volume in the series and the ending seemed a little rushed. A lot of info was thrown at you quickly. It was an alright conclusion I suppose.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Decent conclusion to the series with all the reveals. I loved Otto the robot and his stray cats, and the aliens were cool. I don't think I understood the final stuff with Sam and his quest to find G.A.P. Still, a satisfying ending to the series.

[Jo Whittemore · Rating 1 out of 5]

SO disappointed with how this series ended. It felt very abrupt--like the writer was forced to conclude quickly because the series was being cancelled--and the explanation was nowhere near good enough. Pity, because I liked the first two volumes.

[Hayley Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

How is this the last one...? There's still so many unanswered questions, and I'm really confused by the G.A.P. stuff.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/HNva-a7hxhY

Enjoy!

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though not bad, I was hoping for more from the conclusion.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right away i must say that the ending was ridiculously WEAK. Its like that just got tired of the story so they ended it 😂

Maybe the budget ran thin🤷🏽

3⭐️

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this, I found the conclusion underwhelming. Not sure the ending did the rest of the story justice with all the questions left unanswered. Maybe I just enjoyed it so much, I'm disappointed it's finished and left wanting more.