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XENO'S ARROW #5
"The Forgotten City"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Radio Comix
Writer: Stephen Geigen-Miller
Writer/Artist: Greg Beettam
Price: $2.99 US |
It's about time for Radio Comix to put out a trade paperback of the first book of Xeno's Arrow, because this book is too good to be
flying under everyone's radar as much as it is. Every issue is full of humor,
social commentary and imaginative science fiction, and this one is no exception.
Ever since the crew got off the Zoo, the story has been moving along a lot
quicker, and the scale of the book has opened up considerably. Despite a lack of
my favorite character, Captain Kobb, in this issue, I was once again enthralled
and entertained, as well as made to examine my own politics as well as those of
others through the use of some clever (if not terribly subtle) allegory.
There's a certain feel to this book that puts it in the same realm as Bone and Castle Waiting. It's safe enough to appeal to all
ages, but there is a tinge of darkness to it as well. It's a simple story, but
not a simplistic one. The sadness and poverty that Xeno sees underground, as
well as the danger that he's obviously in, comes through in the book, despite
the knowledge that he's really pretty insulated from real danger. It's very
interesting, as always, to watch the naive and childlike Xeno learning more
about the bad things in the universe.
A big draw this issue,
however, has little to do with Xeno but more to do with the establishing of
where he is. Geigen-Miller and Beettam use an obviously (and comically) biased
news show format to show examine the corrupt corporate Teeko World and the poor
underbelly that it refuses to acknowledge. We get humor in the form of
commercial breaks and the unbelievably twisted logic of the bland and genial
host as well as history of the setting in these sequences. Perhaps more
importantly, the cold attitude that these commentators exhibit help to reinforce
the plight of Xeno and his new friends.
It seems as if Geigen-Miller
and Beettam may have added another member to the cast, the scrappy and savvy
Tal, and I hope that's the case. Tal is an interesting character, raised in a
place with no hope but developing into someone with a good heart that wants to
help others. She has elements of Clemens and Okiris to her, but stands on her
own as well. I'm really enjoying the role she seems to be putting Xeno and
Okiris into, that of criminals, and I can't wait to see how that goes in the
next issue.
With Xeno's Arrow, the creators have a framework for telling
all sorts of stories. They've done jail breaks and starship chases, and they now
seem to be moving into the area of soft crime stories. All of these are done
with the same imaginative art, wonderful sense of humor (both verbal and
slapstick) and social commentary, and anyone who hasn't checked out this book is
really missing out.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
