Lost Vegas is the new comic from Jim McCann and Janet Lee, who won the 2011 Eisner for new graphic novel. This comic book takes place in the most bleak and miserable setting I can imagine, a futuristic space casino. Here, everything is within reach, and you can experience the ultimate in entertainment, if you are a guest and not one of the hundreds of indentured servants that make up the staff.

When one of the servants, named Roland, decides that he has had enough, he orchestrates a daring escape plan. While the space casino heist with a hint of slave revolt is an interesting premise, there is more going on in this comic. The characters aren’t terribly well-rounded yet, but this is just the first issue, and the focus is on the plot. These characters are definitely well-defined; we just don’t see them in more than is needed for the story.

McCann’s script does a good job of weaving the various elements of the plan together. This is especially admirable when you consider that he introduces so many concepts, from the economics of servitude to the complexities of the plan. The cast of characters is one of the coolest parts of this comic. The highlight is Roland’s roommate Inky, who is an amorphous black blob that can assume any shape and grants group telepathy to everyone he touches.

The art by Janet Lee does a tremendous job of accentuating the horror of the situation our protagonist finds himself in. This is not to say that it is dark or moody, rather it is disturbingly bright and cheerful, highlighting the disturbing system. Lee’s art also does a wonderful job of filling the casino with weirdly awesome aliens. This, more than anything, keeps the focus on the bizarreness of this world.

Overall, I liked this comic a bunch. The story is cool and feels different, while the art is not like anything I have read. I would have liked to see more character development, but that would have meant less room for plot, and I liked the plot. This is a fun book that doesn’t fit easily into any genre and that needs to be celebrated.

Four Telepathic Oil-Slicks out of Five