‘Voyage to the Stars’ Graphic Novel Review
Written by Ryan Copple, James Asmus | Art by Connie Daidone, Reggie Graham | Published by IDW Publishing | Format: Paperback, 96pp
Voyage to the Stars is a bonafide podcast phenomenon starring Colton Dunn (Superstore), Felicia Day (Supernatural), Janet Varney (Legend of Korra), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), and Steve Berg (Drunk History)! With 2.5 million downloads in its debut year and over 100,000 viewers on Twitch, the wild sci-fi podcast is now available in comic form… I’ll be honest, I had never even heard of the podcast on which this comic is based but seeing the name Felicia Day attached usually is a sign that I’ll enjoy the product; and that’s certainly the case here.
The plot here is pretty simple. Earth is gone and only one intrepid crew of misfits managed to escape. A crew who is now determined and ambiguously destined to stop a growing, ancient evil from consuming the universe. Though stopping it may be tricky, as our heroes can’t help but destroy just about every planet and species they come across. It’s honestly debatable who’s the bigger threat to the universe!
Like Star Trek and other future-set sci-fi franchises, Voyage to the Stars features a plethora of characters human, alien and everything inbetween. All of whom have bizarre quirks and personality traits that make this book more akin to The Orville than anything modern-day Trek… Yes, this book goes for the laughs and nine times out of ten hits it out of the park! There’s also plenty of action and adventure thrown into the mix too; and some fantastic pop-culture references for readers young and old.
The artwork, by Connie Daidone and Reggie Graham, reflects the fun nature of the book – bright, colourful and clean – whilst at the same time really getting across the usual sci-fi trappings of aliens, spaceships, etc. and looking the part. It a brilliant balance that, again, I cannot help but compare to The Orville. However in terms of colouring and design (and script even), the look of this book fits perfectly with the likes of Adventure Time, Rick and Morty – the kind of cheerful, yet subversive, animated shows that appeal to kids AND adults.
I’d never heard of the podcast on which this book is based but now I definitely consider myself a Voyage to the Stars fan now; and even if you’re a newbie to this franchise, like I was, you’ll still get a kick out of this graphic novel!
**** 4/5
Voyage to the Stars is out now from IDW Publishing.
