Rod Espinosa is one of those names that I've noticed, but whose work I've never really read. Ditto for Antarctic Press, where he does most (if not all) of his work. So I was pleased to get a big package of Antarctic Press books for review, and doubly pleased once I actually sat down and gave Neotopia a read. Neotopia is most easily compared to the work of Miyazaki, with its imaginative and anthropomorphic world and princess double forced to take over for the real princess, but I'm also reminded of the classic Star Wars trilogy in tone and scope and of Crossgen's Meridian with the flying ships, beautiful artwork and strong female protagonist.
Actually, given that Meridian is coming to an end soon, those looking for a replacement might keep an eye out for Neotopia. Espinosa's Nalyn/Nydia has the same sweet demeanor as Meridian's Sophie, and the same role of leadership placed upon her shoulders at far too young an age. It's also clear that Espinosa has put a lot of thought into the political structures of the fantastical world of Neotopia, with a variety of races and lost, magical societies, as well as hints of previous wars and political struggles that define the modern day. Within a few pages, Neotopia had come alive for me, and I found myself caring not only about the characters but about what changes they would make in this world.
Though Neotopia has a large scope and a feeling of history, it remains accessible. I have not read volume one of Neotopia (something I intend to rectify soon), but the brief "Story Thus Far" makes for all the introduction I needed, and Espinosa does an excellent job of introducing his cast and their basic goal, to rally troops and save their homeland, but also to explore new worlds at the same time. The reason so many comparisons can be made between Neotopia and other comics and movies is because Espinosa is tapping into some of the same archetypes. This is sweeping science-fiction/fantasy adventure, and the book never feels small, but at the same time it never gets so much into the bigger picture that we fail to connect with the characters.
And what a cast of characters. Leaving aside the princess in disguise Nalyn, there are the delightfully chipper and capable Chiropteans that make up the tech crew, the intelligent dolphin in a cleverly-designed water walking suit and the brownie who rides a squirrel-like creature, all inventive and enchanting characters. Espinosa creates interesting enough human characters, like the somewhat wet-behind-the-ears mechanic who is both narrator and love interest for Nalyn, but his real strengths lie in the alien races. The dark, almost faceless evil of the Krossians gives little doubt about the black-and-white morality of the book, and yet there is the all-too-brief appearance of the roguish Hyena-like pirates to cast a little doubt on that score.
But that's just the tone of the book and the writing, which, as good as it is, is not the main selling point of Neotopia. No, the big selling point is the artwork, which is simply gorgeous. Espinosa's work has bright color reminiscent of animation, and his sense of design is spectacular. The characters have a somewhat simple, manga-esque look to them, but they're quite expressive, and the amount of detail to be found in the backdrops and the various machines is impressive. Then there are the splash pages, such as the first appearance of the pirate isle of El Miandra, the "Perfect Storm" moment at the close of issue two or the beautiful city of Anhkar, which are as good as any piece of pre-production art you'd find in a major animated film. Espinosa's storytelling is also exceptional. The fight between the pirates and Nalyn's crew moves as if it were animated rather than static pages, and you can practically hear the background noises of island life as Nalyn and crew set foot in the city of Anhkar.
There are a couple minor flaws in Neotopia. Espinosa doesn't always follow through on hints laid before the characters, noticeable in some small extent with the sudden conversion of the pirates to allies but moreso with the social structure of the city of Anhkar. There are hints that their hosts are not as kind as they seem, using a slave race to make their lives more comfortable, but nothing ever comes of that, and the end result is that it looks like the characters are condoning the slavery. In addition, Espinosa's work on the darker aspects of the book tends toward the overly dark, and it's sometimes not as easy to see what's going on with the Krossian forces or when darkness has fallen across the characters. This becomes less of a problem as the book moves along, though, and might simply be an adjustment of palette that took some time to adjust to.
At any rate, the complaints are minor when compared to the many impressive elements of Neotopia. This is really the kind of sweeping epic that comics don't see very often, and fans of Miyazaki or the Star Wars films especially should not miss it. Neotopia was my first exposure to the work of Rod Espinosa and the publications of Antarctic Press, but it was so good, it definitely won't be my last.
