Review: The Ascension Chronicles
Young Midori has a personal stake; his two mothers were victims of the very first assault by the enemy and he was forced to abandon them to their fate. His ship is sent on a mission to a planet of archaeological interest. The colonists must be safely evacuated, but what is the strategic importance of the ancient artefacts beneath the surface? And there are other secrets buried within the story to be uncovered…
So far, so formulaic, you might think, and there is definitely more than a touch of new Battlestar Gallactica influence here, but this tale has its own scope. The setting here is a vast space that has been settled by a culture that left a dying Earth centuries ago, allowing for some expansive worldbuilding by the author. The tired cliché of all human characters being born on Earth (and, invariably, in the USA) is very satisfyingly NOT to be found here.
And that is not the only thing that sets The Ascension Chronicles apart. The scenes are rendered from 3D models, giving a semi-realistic look to spacecraft, planets, armour and the characters themselves. And it is done well; some of the panels depicting space vistas are fine artistic pieces. A lot of work has gone into the design and details and it pays off beautifully on the page.
If you treasure the traditional pencil and ink basis of comics this will not be your cup of tea; there is definite artistry here but not of the type perfected by the likes of Jack Kirby et al. But is this the future of comics? Not drawn on paper, not printed on paper, a purely digital entity? In our futuristic present reality it would certainly make sense – any artist with a tablet and an internet connection can create their story, upload it, and it can then be downloaded by readers on the other side of the world within seconds – but I don’t think it is quite time to nail the coffin shut on the 20th century format just yet. There are still many young artists out there who cherish the “Old School” methods: pencilling, inking, colouring… and for many people the satisfaction of not just reading but physically *owning* a hardcopy comic or graphic novel has an appeal all of its own.
This is an ongoing saga, currently on page 50 as I write this, with no indication of how many pages will be uploaded until the story is completed – if, indeed, it will be. Will it draw to a thrilling conclusion (and if so, when?) or will it remain open-ended to allow for indefinite permutations of the story? The only way to know is to keep following the updates.
This is a fine-looking piece of work with some intriguing story elements, well worth a look which I am sure you will find rewarding.
The Ascension Chronicles site
Zak Webber
Twitter - @sfcomicartist / Instagram - @sfcomicartist
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As someone who has not only been reading this, but had the pleasure of having Irvin DM in various tabletop campaign of his own design, I can honestly say that his ability for story telling is 100% something not to be missed.
ReplyDeleteYes the story is very layered and intriguing, I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
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