Space Job #1 Review

Space Job #1 Cover by Alvaro Sarraseca

 

This review originally published on The Comic Book Dispatch.

Space Job #1 Review

Writer: David A. Goodman

Artist: Alvaro Sarraseca

Colorist: Jordi Escuin Llorach

Letterer: Mauro Mantella

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: 3.99

Release Date: February 8, 2023

 

After working on a space station for five years, assistant chef Danny Sheridan receives orders to transfer to the S.S. George H.W. Bush. Will serving as First Officer aboard a spaceship prove as satisfying and rewarding as he dreams? Come aboard Space Job #1 with me and find out!

 

Story

We share Danny's anticipation as he watches his new ship approach. It may look no more impressive than Commander Quark's garbage scow, but Danny can't wait to join the crew. Nor can he wait to flex his new power. Rank hath its privileges, after all. If he doesn't like what he finds there, he'll make reforms!

 

Who doesn't enjoy watching someone realize their dreams? Sadly, the story abruptly shifts gears. A few pages pass before we find our feet. We follow Operations Officer Travis Biggins, who believes he should have become First Officer. Captain Olivier reprimands him for things Travis believes are not his fault. The beautiful Chief Medical Officer doesn’t return his feelings. Unlike Danny, he doubts the space service will deliver on its promises.

 

By the end of the story, the reader may share Travis' doubts about the worth of spending more time aboard the S.S. George H.W. Bush. There’s certainly something going on here, but what? Writer David A. Goodman laces his subtle storytelling with deadpan humor. There’s also a mystery to explore. But will the reader care if the crew doesn’t? The cover art speaks volumes about the general atmosphere aboard this crazy ship.

 

Art

I appreciated Letterer Mauro Mantella's large upper-case font. Even when characters lower their voices, the font doesn't shrink much. Mauro reveals characters' thoughts through colored narrative boxes, and dialogue with pleasingly spherical balloons. I wished Mauro had provided more sound effects and stressed the occasional intonation with bold lettering.

 

Exterior space scenes evoke the awe of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The interior of the S.S. George H.W. Bush reminds me of life aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise in the TV shows Discovery and Strange New Worlds. Artist Alvaro Sarraseca conveys Danny’s enthusiasm and Travis’ resolution among this ill-trained and disconnected crew. Characters’ thoughts rise like holograms to help us see imagined situations.

 

Colorist Jordi Escuin Llorach gives space and planets color and interest. Shading and darker colors add depth to characters and interiors without descending into muddy grays. The lighting—both in space and inside the station and ship—also impresses. Life aboard the S.S. George H.W. Bush may not be glamorous, but Jordi’s lighting and coloring make me want to serve aboard her. That is, assuming I could put up with the oafish Captain Olivier and had more faith in Frank, the Chief Engineer.

 

Final Thoughts

Nice touches abound in Space Job #1. A few include colorful Star Trek-style uniforms with a NASA-like logo, and names reminiscent of characters on Babylon 5 and Star Trek Enterprise. Fans of The Office may feel well served by Space Job #1, but readers who yearn to boldly go may end up feeling Lost In Space.

 

Hopefully, the next issue will address seeming inconsistencies, water the seeds of mystery planted in Space Job #1, and include a consignment of dilithium crystals to propel the series to warp speed.

 

Rating: 7.5/10

 

To see the preview art for this issue, see my review at The Comic Book Dispatch