Ken Garing’s terrific self-made debut comes to an end in an issue that is both extremely poignant, but also encompasses everything that made the series exciting to follow.
Written & Illustrated by Ken Garing
Warfare ensues as the tyrannical forces of the Ono Mao attempt to wipe out the planetoid’s only hope for civilization!
When we last left Silas and company, they had built a civilization of their own out of nothing but scraps, ingenuity, and hard labor. At the beginning of the miniseries’ final issue, they’re set to defend it against the oncoming forces of the Ono Mao – the oppressive governing body of the “planetoid” they’re stuck on. Planetoid has been about survival all along, delving with deep focus into what it takes to not give up in the face of insurmountable oppression. In that way, issue #5 encompasses everything that already made the series great. For a few issues now, we’ve watched Silas survive on his wits and band a town around him to give everyone a sustainable life worth living. Garing’s exploration of the survival theme is novel through its detailed depiction of Silas and the groups’ ideas for survival being brought to life. Now, too, is their fight against the Ono Mao depicted with detail and a scrappiness that endears itself to the reader. It’s thrilling to watch our heroes take down the larger-than-life robotic enemies with teamwork and weaponry that they’re “MacGuyver’d” out of whatever they could find. Though this is science fiction, it’s all built out of logic and a careful attention to detail. You really feel like what our heroes are doing is relatively realistic, even if scrappy and unlikely. It helps that it’s not a neat and tidy issue either – not everyone makes it out of the fight alive.
And Garing has taken the proper approach so that when we do lose a character, no matter how minor, we feel for them. That fact actually plays into another major theme of “Planetoid” which is the idea of the collective. We’ve met a lot of individual characters with unique traits over these issues, but because the “collective” is so strong, when even a nameless member of the town dies the effects are felt. And the brutal nature of the violence actually adds to this fact, without being overly gratuitous (Though it is certainly extreme at times).
There’s also a prevalent theme of socialism that “Planetoid” tackles. Don’t worry – it’s prevalent, but not pervasive or subversive. I bring it up because it’s a testament to Ken Garing’s skill that he is able to carry something as divisive as a political ideology through his very first work without it feeling clumsily handled or too preachy. Garing depicts the way that the people are being used for the “greater good” of the planetoid that the Ono Mao have established as a cruel dictatorship. This is cast against a band of people who are all working for the greater good of their own community without a need for political hierarchy or economic system. The merits of cultivating organic communities that can sustain themselves are depicted time and again. It’s idealistic, but it’s also really endearing. This is all handled well throughout the 5 issues of “Planetoid” with the very final moments of this final issue perhaps putting too fine a point on it. But still, for Garing’s first professional output this is a pretty delicately handled theme.
Garing’s art is as strong as his writing, with his design sensibilities being most impressive. It should be said that there is a difference in quality from issue #1 to issue #5. The character-work has gotten a little sketchier at times, but the perspective choices and the storytelling has also matured since the first issue. With that out of the way, the work here is still all kinds of gorgeous. The “planetoid” consisted of a plethora of grays and tans, which had a sort of mechanical and detached beauty in their own way. “Planetoid” began as a dirt-covered space opera of busted technology and loneliness. By the end of issue #5, the planetoid has changed to contain splashes of color that break through the intentionally drab surfaces. The cast of characters brings color, as well. Most noticeably, a race of frogmen who have come into their own over the course of the series bring an iconic and multi-colored quality to the new city that’s been built. Garing’s art itself is a pretty nice representation of the village itself “breaking out” of the oppressive and cold nature of a robotic rule.
Continued belowGaring’s ability to color and ink his own work and to create a final product that can stand aside any book from the big 2 comic companies is a fact that has made him into an instant star in the comic book world. It’s very exciting to think about where his career could go. It’s even more exciting to think that, while they should be knocking down his door to get him to come work for them, he doesn’t need Marvel or DC at all at this point. Ken Garing is already a comic talent that has the potential to do whatever he wants to.
Taken as a whole, it’s pretty cool just how much story and the wide span of time Garing has packed into these 5 issues. When this is collected, the existence of this story will be that much more impressive and the strength of the storytelling will be much more apparent. It hurt that this final issue spent months and months in a delayed limbo. Hopefully comic shop goers have kept it in the back of their minds, because a one-man operation this impressive shouldn’t be missed by anybody. “Planetoid” is a terrific effort from a new creative talent that very clearly has the brightest of futures in the comic book industry.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy the whole series. Support talented creators doing passionate creator-owned work.
