In Sea of Stars #9 from Image Comics, Gil races to find his lost son, Kadyn, while shark riding Zzazteks close in on him in a battle amongst the stars! Meanwhile, Kadyn begins to understand something of his new powers, but will his summoning bring success? Find out in your next mighty Major Spoilers review!

SEA OF STARS #9

Writer: Jason Aaron & Dennis Hallum
Artist: Stephen Green
Colorist: Rico Renzi
Letterer: Jared K Fletcher
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 10th, 2021

Previously in Sea of Stars: Separated from his space trucker dad, Gil Starx, young Kadyn must venture into a strange world of space sharks, vengeance seeking Zzaztek, and the Leviathan that destroyed a moon. In a crazy universe, trust is a valuable commodity, and Kadyn, possessed of growing powers, is left to wonder exactly who he can trust…

SPACE SHARK BAIT

Sea of Stars #9 provides the sort of wildly inventive space opera you didn’t know you needed, but now very much do. Eschewing the hard military sci-fi that tends to dominate the field these days, this issue very much adopts a more organic, even spiritual version of the genre, and is all the better for it.

Space trucker Gil made the fatal error of taking his son Kadyn along for a ride and of course, hubris being what it is, the two were separated. Now, Gil must fight his way across a hostile galaxy, while being pursued by the ruthless and space shark riding Zzaztek, while young Kadyn begins to come to terms with the strange powers developing within him.

Sea of Stars #9 comprises the two main strands of the story – Gil in his search for his son (which has become very, very complicated) and Kadyn, lost amidst a strange backdrop of nomads drifting through space on the remains of a moon destroyed by the Leviathan, a vast, space traveling beast with a taste for moon rocks. Of the two, the former is the more exciting, as Gil is forced to face off against a pod of Zzaztek, masked creatures who ride what can only be described as space sharks. With Gil riding Leviathan on his search for Kadyn, he and his companions – a firebird and a space monkey (no, really) riding a space dolphin.

Amidst the action, Jason Aaron and Dennis Hallum do a good job of deepening the mystery and exploring our characters. The Leviathan may’ve destroyed a moon, but is it evil. Gil may simply want to find his son, but he’s being transformed by the midnight vines wrapped around his body, and is communing with a voice that is guiding him in his actions. The other storyline, featuring Kadyn, is more sedate, but deepens what we know of this strange sector of space, with the survivors of the shattering of the moon drifting along on the fragments. Kadyn’s innocence is a nice contrast to the violence and manipulative adults around him, and his coming into his powers proceeds apace.

SPACE ART!

I’ve read reviews where the artwork by Stephen Green has been described as confusing, but in Sea of Stars #9, that is far from correct. There is a lot going on in the battle, as Gil and his companions fight off the Zzaztek, but amidst the whirl of action, careful readers will be able to follow what is going on. Green brings an organic feel to the artwork that is totally in sync with the lack of gleaming hardware that science fiction usually works with. The space sharks, Leviathan itself, and even the armor the Zzazteks wear, all feel grown, not made, which very much adds to the atmosphere and sensibility on display. Green is also very good in displaying the world the nomads have made out of the shattered moon, with walkways and rope bridges connecting the drifting fragments, and filling each with a wide variety of peoples and plant life.

BOTTOM LINE: IMPRESSIVE

Sea of Stars #9 handles its twin storylines well, providing a burst of action amidst Kadyn’s efforts to find allies in his search for his father, as well as coming to terms with the powers manifesting in him. A father’s search for his son can make for a powerful story, and coupled with some very fine art, Sea of Stars #9 is definitely a winner.

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Sea of Stars #9

80%

80%

Impressive

Father loses son, ventures across the galaxy in search, while son falls in with people whose moon was destroyed by the creature the father is working to protect. Twin storylines, full of action and mystery, characterise a very strong Sea of Stars #9

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
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