Far Sector #1 Review

Written by: N. K. Jemisin
Art by: Jamal Campbell
Lettered by: Deron Bennett
Published by: DC's Young Animal

On the edge of the universe, a mystery is brewing and it’s up to rookie Green Lantern Jo Mullein to investigate it. She enters a metropolis that appears sterling on the surface but is hiding growing darkness. The group of races that inhabit it is at peace, but they appear to be holding on by a string that's ready to snap. And the first murder in near 500 years seems to have been the perfect catalyst.

The guardians of the DC Universe, the Green Lantern Corps, have sent out their new recruit to keep the peace on a place renown for just that. The opening mirrors a hard-boiled detective story. Jo Mullein stands in an alley near the fresh corpse of a member of the Nah race, one of three races that live on the City Enduring, that has been mauled to death. As she is introduced to the other races’ diplomats, we learn how peace was achieved and how spurious that peace may be beginning to become. The narration not only helps with the detective story feeling, but it brings us into Jo’s head. There are good uses of it by writer N. K. Jemison to give depth to the novice Jo. Jo also displays some trouble using her powers which seems to be something she’ll be dealing with in this series. The character is likable, interesting, but also written in a way that gives her a believable voice of authority. A lot of the issue builds the world and the alien races. It sets up the society with a history and current dynamic that immediately makes you want to unravel the secrets that are sure to be hidden underneath. However, the worldbuilding slightly muddies the storytelling in this first issue.  But, there is the instinctive feeling that, after this issue, we’re going to get the full experience.

The lush worldbuilding of the issue was matched perfectly with the incredible art by Jamal Campbell. Opening this book, the visuals send you to another part of the cosmos and the intricate story behind it shifts the beautiful 2D imagery into a 3-dimensional work of art. A lot of this comic looks so unique and unfamiliarly alien. The gentle colors mixed with twinkling effects dazzle the eye. But sometimes, especially without solidly defined panel borders, that can get overwhelming. It’s a feast for the eyes, but like an actual feast, you can indulge too much. My eyes weren’t bigger than my stomach, but they were smaller than my brain. I found my eyes darting around pages trying to figure out what to focus on. Should I read the text, or look at the characters in the foreground, or am I missing some detail in the background? With that said, the art is undeniably fantastic. The character designs are inspired, the detail is mind-blowing and the execution is phenomenal.

Green Lantern Jo Mullein’s story has begun, and it's taking her to a brave new world of brilliant alien sights. The players have been introduced, the secrets are coming to light, and the case is underway. While this introductory issue deals a lot with establishing the new environment, it does it with great depth and paints a beautiful picture (with thanks to out of this world art). Now that the interstellar action is ready, Far Sector appears to be about to blast off.