252. Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth by Joseph Mallozzi

Rebirth by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie. Art by Garry Brown  (US) - (Canada)
Dark Matter, Volume 1 

Pages: 104
Ages: 16+
Finished: Sep. 16, 2012
First Published: Oct. 16, 2012
Publisher: Darkhorse
Genre: graphic novel, science fiction, space travel
Rating: 4/5



First sentence: "Life support at 15 percent."

Publisher's Summary: "The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are or how they go on board. The only clue to their identities is a cargo bay full of weaponry and a destination—a remote mining colony that is about to become a war zone! With no idea whose side they are on, they face a deadly decision. Will these amnesiacs turn their backs on history, or will their pasts catch up with them?

Collects issues #1-#4 of the miniseries."

Acquired: Received an egalley from the publisher through Netgalley.

Reason for Reading:  I was in the mood for a space travel story and the amnesiac angle sounded intriguing.

This story was exciting!  I dislike drawing comparisons like this but all throughout I kept thinking how much like "Firefly" the feel of this crew and the plot was.  Afterwards I found out the writers were actually involved with writing for all the various "Stargate" shows but even knowing that I still got a very strong Firefly vibe and those who like FF will enjoy this tale.  A motley crew with 2 women, 3 men and a child.  Varied personalities and visual looks make them different from one another as they play off and antagonize each other.  Slight pairings off are made and we even have the mysterious child counterpart of River (from Firefly) in the as yet unnamed female child.  An exciting off world episode introduces us to the characters and gives them their first assignment as a team.  This would make for a great TV show and plays out well in graphic format.  Humour is added to the mix to bring an enjoyable group of characters, with plenty of action, and a backstory running over with mystery and possible storylines.  My only complaint is the art.  I don't like it.  The faces are ugly and when panning out, groups of people become rough-shaped squiggles, blobs or outlines.  Fortunately, the characters and plot carry this fun space travel adventure.