Review by C.J. Bunce
If you missed Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen′s sci-fi/fantasy series Descender, a recommended series from Image Comics we discussed previously here at borg, you’re going to be able to jump into these creators’ exciting adventure universe in a sequel to the series coming this month, Ascender. Set ten years after Descender, readers are introduced to a strange new world ruled by magic, replacing the mechanized world of the past that leaves the inhabitants of Sampson subject to an all-powerful space vampire witch.
Young Mila–daughter of Andy and Effie from Descender–takes center stage, roaming the wastelands and merely getting by with her father. But what happened to Effie? And what are they to do when an old loyal robot surfaces in a place where robot tech is forbidden? It’s another great beginning to a series from Lemire and Nguyen, in the realm of Image’s sci-fi/fantasy Copperhead series, with artwork and colors that fans of Matt Kindt will be drawn toward.
Substitute names and places and you also have what could easily be the next great Star Wars story, complete with rebels, a dark mystic leader, and plenty of gritty Star Wars space fantasy realism. In fact Ascender has all the elements we’re hoping for in the final chapter to the Skywalker Star Wars saga we’re looking forward to from J.J. Abrams when Episode IX arrives in December.
Check out these preview images, forthcoming covers by Nguyen, a character sheet and timeline for Ascender, Issue #1:
The vibe of Lemire’s writing is very close to the darker parts of Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal, the series leaning more toward a fantasy than the sci-fi of the earlier series. But it will also be familiar to readers of Descender, with Nguyen creating only an extension to the world he built, with much in common with his acclaimed unique, futuristic realm.
Look for Ascender, Issue #1, at Elite Comics and your local comic book store April 24, 2019. You can also pre-order the trade edition of the entire series, Ascender: The Haunted Galaxy, now here at Amazon.
