One of the more complex science fiction stories is out there right now and you didn’t even know it. It’s this series of course, Satellite Falling — and if I had my way it’d be in production for TV as we speak.
That being said could issue #3 drop off in quality? Is it good?
Satellite Falling #3 (IDW Publishing)
So what’s it about? The official IDW summary reads:
We look to the past, as Lilly and Eva deal with an ugly truth about a fallen Earth. In the present, Lilly recruits a team to spy on that huge ship on the far side of the gas giant?and find out just what they want! Bullet Points: ‘ By Amala’s Blade writer Steve Horton and Star Wars artist Stephen Thompson! ‘ For fans of space opera, crime fiction and lots of things exploding!
Why does this book matter?
Writer Steve Horton has proven he can write wickedly good female protagonists who are tough and quite easy to get behind. Stephen Thompson has been able to capture a very unique science fiction world too that has plenty of interesting aliens, spaceships, and environments to ogle as Lilly tries to keep her head above water. A great combination!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Horton opens this issue in the past and it couldn’t have been a better time for it. We’ve gotten snippets of information about Lilly’s ex girlfriend Eva, but now we actually get to see her in the flesh. Horton also opens up the bigger political elements of this series, one of which involves Earth and its laws against humans leaving and their bigoted view of aliens who enter our atmosphere. In the first four pages of this issue Horton shows us humans lynching an alien simply for being there illegally and it’s not only poignant to what is going on in the news lately, but also incredibly gripping. Lilly isn’t just a tough badass, but a woman who has a lot of caring for all life. This scene cuts to Lilly getting a drink from a bartender who she clearly has history with and from there the plot moves forward at a pretty quick pace.
That pace has all the energy and joy that Oceans 11 had, as Horton zings us into a team building montage that’s fun and inventive. Lilly must put together a team to infiltrate a spaceship that is supposedly being manned by a woman who looks just like Eva. This mission is personal, but she must build a team of experts who are only in it for money. Each of these characters sports specific skills that she needs to ensure the mission is a success and they’re all quite interesting to look at. Horton also manages to make the relationship between Lilly and these new characters feel genuine and important. That makes their mission feel all the more important.
So Earthlings are like prisoners.
The art by Thompson continues to be top notch stuff, with each alien looking unique from one another, but more importantly something you’ve never seen before. The opening scenes are strong in delivering the feels too as Lilly feels so much pain, but can’t do anything. The story goes a long way in showing us an early version of Lilly who is not in control and why she goes off on her own. The cop alien continues to be a joy to look at too with some cool shape changing abilities that are different from how other shape changing characters have looked in other comics. The environments around Lilly and the other characters continue to look great too and considering how many scene changes there are Thompson shows he has the chops to draw any background imaginable.
It can’t be perfect can it?
There’s one panel where the cop bonks his head and I think it’s supposed to be comical; it comes off as silly and out of place, especially with so much seriousness going on in this issue.
He could probably make drinks really quick.
Is It Good?
Steven Horton and Stephen Thompson are delivering an emotionally charged, but fun series that is rife with surprises. The world is so vivid and the characters so interesting I wouldn’t be surprised if this were picked up as a TV show.
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