Planetoid #1

Ex-soldier turned space smuggler Silas crash lands his ship on an uncharted & decrepit planet. His survival skills are put to the test as he explores scrap metal environments with giant hostile monster robots & toxic wastelands.

The Pros

This is a classic sci-fi tale of the intergalactic space pilot marooned on an unfriendly world, encountering dangerous life forms and looking for the possibility of other human survivors. Written & illustrated by newcomer Ken Garing who gives this first issue a look and feel of a Heavy Metal anthology, with lots of metallic greyish & dark tones of a harsh environment filled with abandoned factories, refineries & warehouses. It has plenty of action and unravels the origin of the protagonist in a straight forward way.

The Cons

Not the most original material I’ve ever read as it borrows heavily from films like Mad Max, The Matrix, The Terminator, Spacehunter : Adventures in the Forbidden Zone & Soldier, a cheesy Kurt Russell sci-fi flick that I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve seen in theatres.

The Outcome

I thought this was a fun read, not to be taken too seriously. Silas is cool protagonist with plenty of potential for future hazardous exploits & character development. If you’re looking for a science fiction space adventure for pure entertainment value, then look no further.  On the other hand, if you’re looking for a ground-breaking & thought-provoking comic book, this ain’t it. You might want to skip this one. From Image Comics.