Yeah. Um. So…There’s a thing my people can do. A bad thing. Really bad.
Keep reading for a review of Far Sector #7.
Warning: very small spoilers below, but I do mention a few things in a sideways kind of way, so if you don’t want to accidentally read between the lines and get spoiled, you should read the issue first.
A summary of my feelings on this issue would probably be “Wheeeee!”
I love all the different races in the City Enduring, but the @At are probably my favorites. It’s not just that they’re an AI race (I do love me a good digital personality) or that Jo’s friend CanHaz is so cheerful and funny. It’s also that they love Earth memes, which, when I first heard it, made sense all by itself: memes are a huge part of our digital culture, so to a digital race they’d be packed with meaning. I just thought they were fascinated by them.
We got another piece of that puzzle this issue, and it makes even more sense. And also explains why the @At are in such a desperate place, and why some of them have done what they’ve done. (I don’t want to spoil it, but one of the preview pages below gives you an idea. In short: most people in the City Enduring don’t have emotions. I’ll leave it there.)
“Also just downloaded the Matrix Trilogy, Tron, twenty-two cyberpunk novels, four video games, and twelve music videos from your Earth laptop. Yiiiikes.” “Right? Daft Punk and Janelle Monae are the shit, though.”
We also got a huge piece of the puzzle with regards to Jo’s background, which I also don’t want to spoil, but it explains why she, and her ring, are different from other Green Lanterns. For anybody new to Green Lanterns I’ll just say this: one of the major beliefs of the Green Lanterns is “no fear.” But Jo seems more human than that, and there’s a reason why.
The artwork continues to be flat out stunning. There’s too many beautiful panels to pick a favorite: Jo’s giant Lantern Mech suit, Syz’s face when she tries to talk Jo out of her plan, the “new neighborhood” Jo gets to visit…scratch that, every view of the new neighborhood is my favorite. It’s frigging epic.
I’ve enjoyed this whole series, but this issue was fantastic. The battle scene, the “bad thing,” Jo’s decision, the new neighborhood, it’s all brilliant and interesting and it all makes sense. We keep getting new information each issue but it all fits in with the information we already have. It’s dark and serious in places, but it’s also got funny moments here and there, tongue in cheek references to Earth culture (especially memes) that take on whole new meanings when looked at through the eye of a different species. I seriously can’t wait to see what happens next.
