Do you like science fiction? Do you like stories that explore the seedier side of civilization, where morally ambiguous wise-crackers need to survive in a world where everyone is out to get everyone else? Do you like stories where the characters and their connections are the forefront of the story? Do you like a good mystery?
If you said yes to any of those questions, then “Roche Limit”, the upcoming series from Michael Moreci and Vic Malhotra, might just be for you. Find out why in our spoiler-free advance review of the first issue.
Written by Michael Moreci
Illustrated by Vic MalhotraBillionaire Langford Skaargard’s dream of cosmic exploration is no more and Roche Limit, a colony situated on the cusp of a mysterious energy anomaly, has become a melting pot of crime and terrible secrets. When Bekkah Hudson goes missing, the search to find her will plunge her sister and a cadre of the colony’s underworld figures into an odyssey that reveals a grim future for mankind.
The Roche limit is the distance within which a celestial body, held together only by its own gravity, will disintegrate due to a second celestial body’s tidal forces exceeding the first body’s gravitational self-attraction.
To explain: the Roche Limit is a scientific principle which states that there is a perimeter around a celestial body (a planet or a star or what have you) which, if another celestial body crosses that perimeter it will be crushed by the weight of the gravitational forces of the first celestial body. Basically, imagine a line around the Earth that if the moon crosses it, it will disintegrate because of the Earth’s gravitational pull.
What does this science lesson have to do with comics, you may ask? Well, because it’s the basis of the upcoming series by Michael Moreci and Vic Malhotra which is named after the principle.
“Roche Limit”, the comic not the scientific principle, takes place on a space station named after, you guessed it, the Roche limit that orbits an energy anomaly. The issue opens with a rather mysterious cold open, setting up the Roche Limit colony and giving the reader a taste of what is to come before Moreci and Malhotra delve right into the heart of the story as they follow Sonya on her quest to find her missing sister. What is very evident right away is that this is not an idyllic science fiction setting. The Roche Limit Colony is rather aptly named as the inhabitants seem to be approaching a moral Roche limit, as we see a closed off colony of people taking pleasure in the depravity of crime; think Mos Eisley by way of Omega from Mass Effect 2. That immediately sets the series apart as not only does it give Moreci and Malhotra the opportunity to weave a compelling crime drama narrative, but right from the first page there is an omnipresent sense of isolation to the setting.
That sense of isolation and of claustrophobia emanating from the setting of “Roche Limit” is really present in Vic Malhotra’s art. It’s clear right away that there is very little open space on the Roche Limit Colony. Walls are close and oppressive and are uniformly paneled in gunmetal grey which brings the feeling of a breathless claustrophobia to Malhotra’s artwork. This is continued in his use of page structure as panels are often in close-ups, focusing on the details of the actions. Rarely does he pull back for a wide-shot — and even when he does, the black page borders continue this feeling that the characters are surrounded on all sides. This is worked into the story incredibly elegantly as we see Moreci take full advantage of Malhotra’s breathlessly claustrophobic artwork to present challenges and adversity to Sonya’s search around every corner. Just because it’s sci-fi doesn’t mean it can’t bring the drama or the action and “Roche Limit” has that in spades.
This feeling of oppression from the setting is not just present in Vic Malhotra’s line art, but it also seeps into the colour work by Jordan Boyd. What’s interesting about the colours is that Boyd’s palette is actually incredibly varied, but used in such a precise manner that the uniform gunmetal of the Roche Limit’s walls still bleeds through. There’s a very Blade Runner feeling to the use of neon lights that brings a sense of the station being essentially one big red light district, but Boyd mutes the saturation of these colours. What would normally be vibrant greens and blues and pinks become sickly and dull as they are reflected off the metal walls, painting a scene of hopeless depravity.
Continued belowBeing the first issue in the series, “Roche Limit” is the opening part of a mystery that Moreci and Malhotra are telling. This first issue goes a long way in setting the scene and the characters in play and giving everyone a very clear motivation in why they are involved. Both the cold open and the cliffhangar on the last page will possibly leave you scratching your head, but that seems to be by design as they both also hint at much larger aspects at play than the characters think.
However, “Roche Limit” isn’t the dense, wall-to-wall drama series I’m making it out to be. There’s a comedy in Moreci’s character writing, especially in the interactions between the characters. Moreci and Malhotra have created a sandbox filled with characters who don’t have to be nice to one another or even good people, and they clearly show how that friction often boils over with catastrophic and sometimes hilarious effects. There is one very clear example that I’m sad I cannot share as it does technically count as a spoiler, but it shows that Moreci is balancing the mystery at the heart of “Roche Limit”‘s story with a character-focused narrative that brings a surprising amount of humour and heart.
“Roche Limit” is a strong debut from a creative team that really know the story they want to tell. By blending aspects of science fiction and hard boiled crime fiction with a wholly unique setting, Michael Moreci and Vic Malhotra have created a series that is sure to be interesting and compelling. The artwork from Vic Malhotra as well as the colours by Jordan Boyd really bring a unique feeling to the story as they exploit the bleak oppressive setting. This is rounded off by a design by Tim Daniel that illustrates the principle of the Roche Limit right on the cover as well as showcasing the fantastic, Kubrick-like influence on Malhotra’s art here. This is for those craving good science fiction in comics; you will not be disappointed.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – A strong debut that fans of science fiction and crime stories alike should definitely check out.
