Outbound - 'The Science Fiction Comics Anthology' - A Review

Written by Martin Dolan

Science fiction comics, are few and far between. Outbound - 'The Science Fiction Comics Anthology' was a highly anticipated treat.

Most comics I have found focus on the realms of fantasy, so I was eager to read something with a heart of true sci-fi.

In fact after driving into town to pick it up from the post office, I sat in the car for 20 minutes reading it before I pulled out of my parking space. I literally could not put it down.

Outbound is a mix of comics by various authors and artists, short stories, a great interview with 'Hunter Prey' director Sandy Collora, and instructions to build a model of USSR's Marsnic IV probe. There is even an advertisement for 'Chenopodium Capitatum' which apparently will grow some tasty vegetables on your spaceship or asteroid. As the advert is paid for by the "Vegan Overlord Saturn Society" I am assuming its not made of people like that Soylent Green product.

Each comic series in this issue has a distinct artistic style

...and without wanting to single any one out, FLEK! the Space Flea by Erik Heumiller stole my heart.

In the short story department, one of note was about Time travel and Vegemite (and being Australian, I actually love eating Vegemite!)

It's also a breath of fresh air to actually be able to sit down on the couch and read a comic - made of actual paper. Outbound has great production values, a heavy stock for the cover featuring painted artwork by Marcelo Buchelli, and those values continue throughout.

This is no tissue paper throwaway - it’s a keeper.

I could not imagine getting the same pleasure from reading a digital version on an e-reader or Kindle. I fear that one day soon printed comics and books will be an almost forgotten curiosity.

Outbound - 'The Science Fiction Comics Anthology' is a great read.

Visit their official website http://outboundmagazine.blogspot.com/ and get yourself a copy.

Tags: Review Books Drawing Painting Comic

Comments (4)

4 Wednesday, 16 June 2010 10:43

Roho

hey guys issue 2 is out and its bigger and better!

Monday, 21 June 2010 17:47

Martin Dolan

Fantastic, I will read that and write a review - I love Outbound. Something to read while I recover...

3 Monday, 19 October 2009 12:42

Aya R.

Thanks for the review, Martin!

My first experience with Vegemite was when I ate a spoonful of it. (I was studying abroad in New Zealand, some friends dared me to, etc etc.) Since then, I have been assured Vegemite is quite tasty, and indeed I ate Vegemite spread on toast many times after that. But that first impression still stayed with me, and made its way into the story.

Yes, listen to Holly, everyone; support your indie printed comics! Having said that, here's the Vegemite story online, if you want to read it:

http://www.ayarothwell.com/Writing/How%20I%20Learned%20to%20Tolerate%20Vegemite.html

2 Monday, 19 October 2009 07:26

Holly

Outbound sounds totally COOL!

...but your last couple of lines hit on a raw nerve with me Surprised

Specifically the idea "that one day soon printed comics and books will be an almost forgotten curiosity."

Already the e-book, the audiobook, podcasts, vidcasts etc etc are becoming the standard way of information transmission and dissemination, especially amongst the younger generations. What worries me is the fact that "advanced" technology like this can often be changed at the mere stroke of a key - to change forever what was there only moments ago...

So? I hear you say.

Ummm, do the words "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451" mean anything to you???

Fahrenheit 451 is a classic novel by Ray Bradbury, which describes a future in which independent thought is discouraged and "firemen" burn books (451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper bursts into flame). The population is distracted and sedated by a combination of wall to wall interactive television and mind altering drugs. Sound a bit like the huge plasma TV screens / internet monitors and the easy access to ice, crack and so on that youth of today deals with?....

And what of George Orwell's 1984? Well, again there is the pervasive government surveillance via telescreen transceivers, the propaganda and public mind control, and the voiding of citizens’ rights. Where the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue) ensures state-condoned propaganda is transmitted, disseminated and then totally integrated - by revising historical records to match the new state of affairs. And how much easier could it be to revise history than with today's technology and the mere stroke of a key...

Ice-cold shivers running down my spine --> Yikes, are we there already!!! Evil or Very Mad

We've seen Big Brother, the TV show. And, depending on where in the world we were, we "saw it all". Is this perhaps just warming us up and desensitizing us to the reality of the future, where the government has totalitarian reach, even into our own lounge and bedrooms. (I'm thinking Google maps here and more worryingly, the latest controversy surrounding the twenty thousand problem families in England whose homes are already marked out to be placed under mandatory CCTV surveillance according to the Children's Secretary). A future where there can be tolerance for nothing but love for Big Brother and the Party. And where any lucidly-thinking intellectual, whose views differ to the proffered reality, will be beaten and tortured, then sent to Room 101, when he or she is near-broken, to face “the worst thing in the world” until submission replaces dissension. Scary Sad

So I'm glad to hear about a cool comic, and even more glad to hear it's still in PRINT. Guys, get out there, buy a copy and support the PRINT industry. Besides - the stuff they've crammed into the Anthology sounds wicked! Thanks for sharing Marty Smile