When I read Neotopia, I can't help but see similarities to other work, whether it's definite influences like Miyazaki or coincidentally similar books like Crossgen's Meridian. Neotopia is perfect for fans of these stories, and given that Miyazaki's manga work is few and far between and Meridian is pretty much dead, this is not a bad haven for fans looking for high adventure science fiction with a bit of a girl power twist. Espinosa's work is referred to in the back page ads as "color manga," and that's as good a name for it as any, as he tells a story that has a touch of romance but is more about strange kingdoms and cultures and exploration in service of saving a country. Neotopia is a vision of another place, one brought to vivid life by Espinosa's artwork and inhabited by a variety of interesting characters.
Like the second Neotopia series, this is a surprisingly accessible story, with a "What has gone before" page spelling out the basics of the heroine's identity and the war that has driven her and her crew into a journey across the world of Neotopia. There's a pattern that emerges when reading Neotopia, one that sees the crew landing in a foreign nation and discovering (as the reader does) all that there is about that nation, both its positives and its negatives. While this could be described as a formula, however, it remains fresh storytelling because of Espinosa's imaginative creation of fictitious nations, trying to cope with a balance between technology and magic, war and peace, diplomacy and common decency.
The first two issues of The Kingdoms Beyond focus on one kingdom apiece, both very different from one another. Issue one sees the characters land in a nation full of what are basically elves, living in harmony with nature and not trusting the callous whims of humanity. Issue two finds them landing in a wartorn nation and having to decide on which side of the war they should be on, if either one is in fact suitable for them. What's in common in both is a xenophobia, a fear of an outside culture, that shows off the cultural division driving the main conflict of Neotopia. Where Miyazaki's focus is generally on nature versus technology, that is a facet of Espinosa's stories, which are more properly described as more fantasy-oriented examinations of cultural interaction and all the thorny issues that can result. In these issues alone, he explores the notion of cultural adaptation and trying to return to one's home culture as well as the culture that develops in a time of war.
While the book is mostly about exploration and the personal journey of Nalyn, the lead character and fake princess, it also includes overtones of war and plenty of action as a result. Issue two features a spectacular sequence of tension followed by rapid fire action as a diplomatic situation turns into a military one, and the imposing terror of the Krossian armada landing in Mathenia is all too clear in the opening pages of issue one. Espinosa's work is full of breathtaking vistas and imaginative technology, but he's no slouch when it comes to the action storytelling either.
Neotopia is work in a genre that comics doesn't touch very often, a blend of high fantasy, science-fiction and young hero's adventure. It stands alongside work like Akiko, Meridian and Nausicaa, but it has it's own distinctive identity as well. In addition, it features gorgeous, full-color artwork that has a manga sensibility but also stands out as something unique and different thanks to Espinosa's talents.
