Sea of Stars #3
Image Comics
Written by: Dennis Hallum and Jason Aaron
Art by: Stephen Green
Colorist: Rico Renzi
Letters and Design by: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Will Dennis
Sea of Stars is a beautiful, transcendent journey through a mythic version of space that follows the very human story of a man trying to get back to his son after a crash that destroyed their delivery ship. The issue picks up after Gil Starx finally lands on a planet and gets his feet underneath him. He’s got one goal: to find his son, Kadyn, who is, for all Gil knows, floating around in space, barely surviving. What Dad doesn’t realize is that his son has somehow manifested mythical powers that allow him to fly through space, talk to space creatures, breathe in a vacuum, and punch giant monsters into the next solar system.
The plot is great, easy to follow, and allows for high-emotion stakes throughout a surreal and vibrant universe. The real pleasure of Sea of Stars is the marvelous art. Stephen Green has produced some amazing character designs and exciting creature concepts. The massive Quarksharks are terrifying and fun, and the meat-eating cauliflower vines that produce enough oxygen to support life on extant planets are the perfect blend of Little Shop of Horrors and Star Wars. The lettering is great, with each species getting their own designs, and there’s enough variety to make the dialogue and thought bubbles look beautifully hand-lettered. Really the only problem I have is the fridging of the mother in Issue with no hope of another woman or female character in sight.
The colors are also beautiful. There could have been a decision to go with dark greys, browns, and blues for space and its inhabitants, but instead, we get bright oranges and pinks, yellows and pastels. There’s a colorful and exuberant joy in the way these pages are drawn and painted, and it comes together to uplift the story, which might otherwise be a very dour plot. I also appreciated the way that the colors are the same through both the son and the father’s perspectives. Even though they’re in different places and mindsets, the coloring ensures that they remain in the same universe.
Ultimately, Sea of Stars is a visual delight tied to an endearing story. The bond between Gil and Kadyn throughout the book is sweet and realistic, making it easy to root for our main characters. The mythos of lost aliens and fun superpowers is just icing on the cake. I desperately want to know what happens to Kadyn, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next issue.