Steve Horton, Stephen Thompson and Lisa Jackson deliver a new science fiction crime saga with “Satellite Falling” #1. Read on for our spoiler free review.
Written by Steve Horton
Illustrated by Stephen Thompson and Lisa Jackson
A lone human survived the death of the one she loved, and escaped a corrupt Earth. She now makes her way as a bounty hunter, on a satellite full of aliens. But someone’s about to turn her life upside down…
Science fiction is a very “in” genre for comics right now. Lots of series are popping up at smaller publishers and while it’s great to have variety in genres, not every recent science fiction project has been a winner. “Satellite Falling” does not fall into that category. With a solid, character driven premise and an interesting lead character, “Satellite Falling” #1 is a debut that intrigues the reader and reels you in enough to pique your curiosity.
“Satellite Falling” #1 introduces us to Lilly, a human who lost the love of her life, Eva, and now lives on an alien filled satellite planet as a bounty hunter. This satellite is full of multiple alien life forms and they distrust and dislike humans in the same ugly manner that humans dislike other humans for their appearances. Lilly uses holographic technology to make herself look like others so she can be an even more effective bounty hunter. This has caused her to have a tenuous relationship with the police and it’s this relationship that is tested through Lilly once again needing to work for them.
In all honesty, “Satellite Falling” #1 doesn’t break new ground but that doesn’t make it unenjoyable. Steve Horton seems to be influenced by Blade Runner with a little of “The Incal” thrown in. Lilly herself follows some tropes. She’s a woman with a hard exterior but is actually a big softie thanks to what we learn about her feelings for Eva. It’s very easy for all this to become too familiar but “Satellite Falling” #1 works thanks to Horton’s ability to create an emotional connection between you and Lilly.
This debut takes time to give Lilly a voice and it’s a voice that works. She’s skilled at her job but it’s become her job out of necessity. There’s this hinting that she might have a death wish but in her work, she’s not solely focused on making money. Lilly feels alone on this planet because all other humans have remained on Earth, but she’s spent time here helping some people by putting criminals in jail. Lilly has potential to be something so much more but what Horton does well is establishing her backstory, her personality and getting into what she wants. Horton starts the build to a very memorable heroine who isn’t perfect but also isn’t a “strong female character” trope. I found myself immediately immersed in what she was doing in this issue.
The plot itself moves along nicely and the set up in this issue does work very well. This is slated as a miniseries for now and I hope that it gets a chance to do a bit more. There’s a lot in this world to explore and that’s kind of the biggest failing of “Satellite Falling”. In this script, Horton sets up a lot in regards to the world building. What happened on Earth? What happened to Eva? How did Lilly become a bounty hunter? What does the universe look like that allows Lilly to just move to a new planet? In science fiction, I feel like these can be the most interesting questions to address. I am especially concerned with Eva. I would like to see her serve more than just being something causes Lilly pain. Who was she? I hope that this can be addressed because it would be valuable to buck the fridging trope that still runs rampant in media.
Stephen Thompson’s art and Lisa Jackson’s colors were a huge selling point for me. The cover features Lilly defiantly walking through a crowd. The detailing and variations in the character designs are gorgeous. Thompson does not spare a single detail in his work. Each character has a distinct style to them and Lilly’s is probably the coolest of them all. She almost looks like a cowboy with a bit of Han Solo thrown in. It’s not an overly feminine look but there’s a sense of fashion to it with the execution of the jacket. It’s a moto jacket that really heightens her cool factor which adds to the mystique of being a tough as nails bounty hunter.
Thompson also does equally great work in regards to the way this world looks. This satellite doesn’t look like Earth but there are pieces of it that are reminders of the biggest cities. It adds more mystery to the evolution of this futuristic world that through Thompson’s art, has probably seen better days. The detailing is again, really off the charts. Every nook and cranny is shown to us and the angles are so well executed. Lisa Jackson’s colors are really what brings this together and I’m overjoyed that she went with a brighter palette instead of giving us another dark and dingy look at the future. The color work really pops with each page being a vibrant spark in a story that doesn’t really feel joyous. Thompson and Jackson play with our expectations in this way and I like the contrast. The art and color work is not telling a separate story but it proves that beautiful, bright art can still tell a darker story without being washed out.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – A very enjoyable first issue of what looks to be a memorable miniseries.
