Void Trip #5
Writer: Ryan O’ Sullivan
Artist: Plaid Klaus
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Anelise Farris
Can we really be at the end of this fantastic series? Last issue we discovered that Euphoria is not the destination that Ana and Gabe had imagined it to be. Void Trip #5 begins with a framing narrative, the “tell us a story” type of situation—which makes sense for a final issue. We get the sense that time has passed, that the journey we’ve been on with Ana and Gabe is just a blip in the vast universe. As Gabe is now gone, Ana is at the heart of the story’s conclusion, as she is still being pursued relentlessly by the robocop-assassin.
The writing throughout this series has hit me right in the feels—in the best way possible. It’s bleak and poetic and humorous and everything I want in a good story. “Space isn’t beautiful,” Ana says, “I used to hear it all the time, ‘we’re all made from stardust’ or ‘the iron from the hearts of stars runs through our veins.’ Saying things like that doesn’t make space beautiful. It just makes us poets. And who cares about poetry anymore?” SEE? SEE? Gorgeous, gorgeous writing.
And despite Ana’s sentiment about space and beauty, the art in this series is beautiful. The space scenes are hauntingly stunning with deep purples and blues and pinks. Ana’s expressions are spot on, and can I please get a pair of those purple-tinted sunglasses? Page after page the panel arrangements are unique and carefully thought out, and the wide gutters allow for just the right amount of breathing room.
Verdict: Buy it.
Unique sci-fi space comics are hard to find. Unique and beautiful sci-fi space comics are even harder to find. Thank goodness for Void Trip. It’s perfect. If you have not been reading this series, buy Void Trip #5 and the previous four issues. It will not disappoint.
