Free Planet #11 // Review
Lutheria has declared itself the first completely free planet in human history. That's a hell of a statement to make. However, simply being free isn't enough. Because there's all kinds of suffering. The planet is suffering from the effects of an embargo and economic restructuring. The Freedom Guard is trying to smuggle food from a neighboring planet. It’s a bit mess and it’s about to get messier in Free Planet #11. Writer Aubrey Sitterson continues a. Science fiction, political drama with artist Jed Dougherty. Color comes to the page courtesy courtesy of Vittorio Astone. And places it kind of feels like a lavishly illustrated text based story. The script oesn't quite interface with the art and a very satisfying way. That doesn't mean that there isn't quite a lot to admire in the latest issue of the series.
It's not like the economy isn't stash. Things have been pretty erratic prior to the establishment of price controls. The price of cereals on the black market have been increasing. As has the overall percentage of inflation. Things aren't too terribly good on the free planet. However, they have been worse. One way or another it's going to be inevitable. That certain stresses are going to find cause to combust on an already tense planet.
SItterson’s story reads like a future history that is occasionally interrupted by brief moments of action, violence, drama, and the occasional glimmer of something more philosophical and poetic. It's incredibly dense stuff. And it's far from being a traditional tax. And it's far from being a traditional sequential art comic book style story as well. And trying to be so many things at once it kind of fails at being anything at all. That being said, something that is as complex and multilayered as Free Planet defies, any easy criticism until the whole thing reaches some sense of completion. It's still kind of early to tell exactly what's going to happen and how effective it's going to be.
Astone layers some beautiful color over Dougherty’s pleasingly crude art. It almost has sort of a folk art feel to it. And that actually serves to elevate aspects of the script. It really feels like these are attempts at illustrating a history that simply hasn't happened yet. And perhaps their attempt to illustrate such a thing in a way that feels very much like it survived some kind of violent revolution. And so it's kind of shaken into a lack of vivid perspective and some stiff anatomy. It's appealing. But not in a traditional way.
It's entirely possible that this could end up being something very, very deep. And almost brilliant and its own way. The problem is that it's very difficult to get into anyone issue in a way that feels it all satisfying. Each issue seems to be a fragment of something much bigger, which probably makes more sense in the context of everything that's being placed down on the page. It's potentially very fascinating stuff.
Grade: B-
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