Cleopatra in Space #2
Mike Maihack
http://www.cowshell.com/cleopatra/
I’ve talked before about how one of my favorite aspects of going to comic conventions is the chance to discover new artists/writers. Not only do I just walk around the floors of the convention center, but I also spend a great deal of time looking through the list of names of people that are going to be there so I can see what they do before hand. It just helps me budget to pick something up from them. One of the artists/writers/comics that I discovered last year at Heroescon while doing this was Cleopatra in Space (I reviewed issue one here) and I was excited that Mike was coming back this year so I could pick up issue #2. This is easily one of my favorite comics to keep up with and after a bit of a hiatus, Mike is once again updating the comic online (the current storyline will make up issue #3.) The premise is that Cleopatra VII has been transported from 52BC to the far distant future, where ancient prophecies have proclaimed that she is destined to become the savior of the galaxy. But first…she has to survive.
Cleopatra escaped the Xerc ship, got their new weapon…and now she’s crash landed on Hykosis trying to fix her bike. And just when she and Khensu think they’ll be able to get away, bandits show up. After a brief battle (where Cleopatra totally kicks their asses) the bandits run away. Course they’ve also run off with the Xerc’s new weapon. The weapon that Cleopatra was supposed to bring back to her planet in order to help save them. What’s a girl to do? Go after them and save the world of course.
I think the first thing that caught my attention about the comic was the artwork. There are just so many little details to it that make it standout when looking at it. I love the line quality of the drawings and it really helps create and sell the motion of the characters and bring them to life. It reminds me in some ways of Scott McCloud’s comic Zot! And in between chapter one (issue 1) and chapter 2 (this issue) Mike began adding color to the process, which just enhances everything in my opinion. He still has a lot of nice detail to the drawings, but I love his color choices in this issue. For example, in the panel shown on the left, I love the choice of the blues to illustrate Cleopatra. It certainly captures how she must be feeling, but the contrast between the blue and the red background is just pitch perfect. I also like how he isn’t afraid to use the gutter space or just not depict the borders of the panels entirely. This is something that I see a lot of artists struggle with, but Mike makes the right choices using it with a deft touch to enhance the storyline vs. just going overboard with it.
Although I really like the artwork, the writing is what keeps me coming back for more wanting to know what will happen next. Mike creates characters that live and breathe on the page, that grow throughout the story and show that they have faults, that they make mistakes just like us. Most of all though I enjoy the two main characters, Cleopatra and Khensu, and just how they’re described. Cleopatra isn’t a dainty, sit on her hands queen. Nope, instead she’s a kick ass, gun wielding, energetic kinda gal that likes trying to do things on her own. Granted it doesn’t always work, but hey she’s only 17. And Khensu just wants to do what is best for his young charge. Sure he’s a bit overprotective at times, but she maybe the center of the prophecy to save the world.
Even though the series is progressing slowly, this is a comic that I really enjoy and would recommend to fans of sci-fi, star trek, and adventure. I really look forward to seeing where Mike goes next with the storyline and look forward to reading more about Cleopatra.
