Canopus #2

Canopus #2

by Dave Chisholm

Helen wakes up marooned on a lifeless alien planet 300 light years from Earth with no memories beyond a hazy sense of extinction-level urgency to return to Earth. Joined by Arther, her strange robot companion, she explores the planet to find materials necessary to repair her ship. However, circumstances are not as straightforward as they seem. Along the way, Helen's most painful memories return as monstrous manifestations hell-bent on her destruction. Canopus is Castaway meets Annihilation, with a healthy dose of "Phillip K. Dick" thrown in for good measure!

Unknown Binding

Published March 1, 2020

About the author

Dave Chisholm is a graphic novelist and musician currently living in Rochester, NY where he received his doctorate in jazz trumpet from the Eastman School of Music in 2013. His expertise in music as well as his formal inventiveness within the comics medium has resulted in a string of critically-acclaimed music-centric graphic novels including Miles Davis & the Search for the Sound (2023, Z2 Comics), Enter the Blue (2022, Z2 Comics), and Chasin' the Bird: Charlie Parker in California (2020, Z2 Comics). His most recent releases SPECTRUM (Mad Cave Studios)--a trippy exploration of a funhouse-mirror version of 20th-century music history framed by an eternal battle in the realm of music and sound made in collaboration with writer Rick Quinn--and PLAGUE HOUSE (Oni Press)--an inventive rethinking of the haunted house genre made in collaboration with writer Michael W Conrad--demonstrate his breadth.

Hailed by ComicsBeat as "one of the most exciting comic auteurs working in comics today," Chisholm also has a passion for education and teaches comics and music at the Hochstein School and the Rochester Institute of Technology. 

In his free time, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and cats.

Reviews

[Stephen Degaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great issue. The continuation of the story leaves me wanting more every issue. Each issue brings the reader along with the mystery of Helen and her drive to remember her past. I want to know where Helen's story goes next, and where it finishes.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, thanks to the whole global coronavirus pandemic, which forced the temporary closure of my local comic shop, I had to wait several months to get my hands on the second issue of Dave Chisholm’s philosophical space epic, “Canopus.” And maybe I’m reaching a little bit but it’s hard to ignore the parallels between the book and the current state of society, as coincidental as they may be. At times, self-quarantine feels a lot like Helen’s predicament: isolated (not on a distant planet but you get what I mean), confused, frustrated, and desperate for answers and some sort of connection. Really, the only difference is that I don’t have an A.I. sidekick. *wink wink* Seriously though, “Canopus #2” is a stunner. Chisholm is exploring some really heavy topics like identity and family but he never lets things spin out of control. His art is similarly restrained; it’s breathtaking - don’t get me wrong, his style and pacing and layouts are all impeccable - it’s just that he never lets the art overshadow the story. They’re extremely complementary. “Canopus” is like “Alien” except the xenomorphs are your own memories, fears, and regrets. In space, no one can hear you primal scream.