I’ve been a Jack Campbell (a pseudonym for John Hemry) fan for quite a while.  I discovered his Lost Fleet military space-faring novels while perusing Amazon, and I read through them as fast as I could get them. My husband got hooked, as well, as Campbell is one of the few military sci-fi writers who depict space battles accurately – meaning that space is a big place, and it takes a long time for messages and images to arrive, as well as using the three dimensions of space in battle strategy.  What I like best about him is that he is living proof that a solid professional writer can get better – a lot better. You can see the improvement in The Lost Stars and The Genesis Fleet series.

Now, he has ventured into comics, and I’m happy that he didn’t just retell one of his previous stories, but delves into what happened to Captain Michael Geary, the grandnephew of the Alliance legend Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, after a critical battle between the Alliance and the Syndics. Though presumed dead after a slugfest between the Syndics and the Alliance, we discover that he survived and was captured by the enemy. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the Alliance forces won the battle, and he is being kept alive due to his strategic value to the Syndics; however, he may have found an unlikely ally in Syndic Executive Destina Aragon. A tough and highly committed officer, she and her men realize the end is near for the Syndicate and wish to commandeer their mobile forces unit to return to their home. The only trouble is that a few hundred “Snakes,” also known as Syndicate Internal Security Service, stand in their way. Whether or not they achieve their objective remains to be seen.

A solid, action-packed story, it gives us just enough background for the uninitiated not to be totally lost. The battle sequences are clear and unmuddled. (It’s a pet peeve of mine when a battle sequence is so cluttered that I can’t tell what’s going on.) The main character of Michael Geary acts a bit whiny at first, but the comic really hits its stride in the second chapter. The pace is great and the art and coloring deliver.  I liked that they showed the basic schematic of the ship. It provides nice visuals for the reader and good reference points for understanding the battle.  Also, the Syndic armor reminds me of the old-style Cylons, which I find personally amusing, and in later chapters, the planet Kane reminds me of the rebel base in Star Wars.

If there would be one thing I would leave out, it would be the few pages introducing you to Michael’s famous great-uncle, Captain “Black Jack” Geary and the aliens known as “The Dancers.”  It’s a brief interlude that is fun for those of us who have read the novels, but might be a bit confusing to those who are new to this universe.

I did have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Campbell at WorldCon this year in San Jose, and he was kind enough to sign the first two novels in his Genesis Fleet Series for me. (They are really good, by the way.)  It also gave my rocket scientist husband a chance to quiz him on some of the tech in the books. I think they both had a great time.

The trade paperback also has some cool, variant wraparound covers in the back that would make for some nice computer wallpaper.

Kuddos to Mr. Campbell on writing such a fun and solid comic. (Going from novels to comics can’t be an easy transition.)  Andre Siregar (Artist), Bambang Irawan (Inks), Sebastian Cheng (Colors), and Jim Campbell (Letters) all did a terrific job in bringing his world to life.

Creative Team: Jack Campbell (writer), Andre Siregar (artist), Bambang Irawan (inker), Sebastian Cheng (colorist), Jim Campbell (letterer)
Publisher: Titan Comics
Click here to purchase.