Review: Wasted Space #11

"Wasted Space" #11
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Color Artist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Jim Campbell


Review by Steve J. Ray


Cosmic wormholes, cuboid space stations, rampant robots and hunky androids with moustaches, all of this can only mean one thing...

Wasted Space is back, baby!

Damn, I've missed this series. Issue #11 is the perfect gateway drug into this book if you've never read it before. It admirably balances the tricky juggling act of catching the audience up, setting the stage for what's coming next and lets every reader, new or old, feel the essence and truth of every single character.

I cannot remember the last time a new series made me invest in every single personality and situation as deeply as I have with Billy Bane, Molly, Dust, Rex and the strange worlds they inhabit. I mean, sure, the breaks between volumes mean that this series has run for closer to two years than one, so we do feel like we've known the characters for longer than we have, but they way they're written, the way the act and speak... that's magic. That's down to terrific writing... 

... and some wonderful, wonderful art.

All Hail The Sher Man And The Rainbows Of Wordie

Is it me, or are Hayden Sherman and Jason Wordie just getting better and better, issue by issue? If the images above don't convince you that this is an art team working in perfect harmony, then nothing will. I've said it time and time again, this series looks nothing like any other sci-fi book out there.

Other highlights include the last three panels of page six (buy the comic!), Molly's recap of the series so far on page 8, and the return of a (sort of) familiar face on page 14.

Oh... and the look on Billy's face in panel three of page nine is pure comic-book gold.

Ring The Camp Bell... Words Are His Power

Why do so few of us give letterers the respect they deserve? Michael Moreci's scripts are (necessarily and appropriately) wordy, so Jim Campbell really works overtime on this series, He writes tons of dialogue into every issue, and still  gives us hugely original titles, banners and dialogue balloons that make me want to SQUEEE!

Thanks, Jim... I love your work.

Conclusion

Michael Moreci, let me be the first to demand a Quylicon Station spin-off. I need to find out what happened there, and I must learn the entire story of Squeee. Readers, once again you NEED to read this comic, even if it's just to find out what the hell I'm going on about.

Let me just state that this is a series that's crafted with love and affection for everything related to sci-fi and comics, by a team who are a bunch of fans at heart, but with the talent and passion to place that love on the page in new, fresh and exciting ways. I mean, Quylicon Station cannot be reminiscent of a Borg Cube and a Mother Box by accident... can it?

I love this series and cannot wait for issue #12.
Images Courtesy of Vault Comics and the Creative Team

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