Astral Evolution

by Jay Magnum

4,500 years ago... In the Golden Age of humanity a great EVIL wanders the Earth, devouring all the souls in its path-- including an Egyptian princess! Brought to the present day against her will, can this last victim of the evil rise to overcome it-- and defeat the most powerful villains of the modern era? ...or will the evil ultimately consume her?

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constant scene changes mark the rapid progress of events in the graphic sci-fi novel, Astral Evolution by Jay Magnum and Brian Augustyn. Ranging from the towering structures of Ancient Egypt through research laboratory setups to electronically supercharged sky and polar warfare, the scenery is as diverse as the central characters are. Switching from a tantrum thrown by an avaricious diva on the eve of her wedding to a PR exercise thrown by the devious Chase Rockmann, president and CEO of Rockmann Technologies, and his scheming sister, chief technology officer Alexandra, the plot of Astral Evolution advances along complex and challenging lines that stir the imagination and challenge the intellect. Meanwhile, at the Galactix Spaceport, Dr. Lewis bemoans the fact that she designed spacecraft for the peaceful exploration of space, not the militarization of it, whereas that is what it is having to be used as to protect the planet from power-hungry moguls who are intent on exploiting it only for their own mercenary ends.

I felt really spoiled with both the multilayered color and the wide range of action in Magnum and Augustyn’s Astral Evolution. The images throughout are dynamic and exciting, with the 100 full-color pages radiating a dynamic force that is stimulating to the core. The battle between good and evil is a mainstay of the text, which follows on the first volume in the series, Astral Genesis, which met with a truly great reception. And there is still more to come, with Astral Alliance due out soon. The comic-book style and explosive action sequences should appeal to young adults especially, while the exploration of the motivation behind it all should appeal to all serious sci-fi fans. Techy geeks should also delight in the data-related aspects that form the basis of much of the plot development. With fast-paced action all the way, Astral Evolution is bound to be a winner across a broad spectrum of readers. I, for one, am hooked!

[Nathaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with its predecessor, great art and ideas mixed with unfortunately lackluster writing. Once again, Ariel Medel and the inkers and colorists provide a beautiful-looking graphic novel that is well executed from an art standpoint. I'll give Astral Evolution this over the previous installment, it's better-paced and isn't boring for long stretches. However, it runs into the same writing pitfalls the previous book possessed. The characters are still largely two-dimensional, and the payoffs don't feel properly set up or earned. One or two character moments were genuinely awesome while the rest fell flat. The villains could be compelling, but their inner tensions fail to properly formulate until the very end, and by then it's too late. A few of the characters go through major tragedies that aren't properly earned, and these plot points are thrust upon the reader suddenly as if this was where the narrative was going the entire time. I'll say this, I finally feel somewhat invested in one of the main characters - Lila. Unfortunately, like the last book, she's rarely able to prove just how powerful she is and is constantly beaten very easily. It's like if a Superman book only allowed him to do cool things 15% of the time. You need to have meaningful challenges for your character to face, but there's a point where they become little more than a pushover. I wish I could see in this book what the more positive reviews do, and I don't have anything against the creative team - I've met Jay Magnum, and he seems to be a really nice guy - but I just can't find any reason to justify spending twenty dollars on this book.