Titan

This is a really good graphic sci-fi novel about inter-planetary colonisation, exploitation and rebellion. Two races exist, the giant Titans and the Terrans, but the Titans are an exploited race amd an underclass and there is rebellion on the horizon.

The story is told through the eyes of two characters, Phoebe a Titan woman and Joao a privileged Terran who is sent to the Titan planet to improve productivity. As he tries to resolve the problems on the planet he is caught up in conspiracies and plotting but he also finds romance and caring even in the heart of the conflict. Despite this he is at the frontline of the conflict and he may not survive!

This is a really interesting and gripping sci-fi novel which I really enjoyed. I wasn't too keen on the artwork but the story was great and really engaging.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

i loved it. i'm in love with it. from the characters to the songs to the illustrations. i feel like i just received a spacey warm hug. my heart is still beating really fast from all the action, but it's totally worth it. phoebe is my new space girlfriend and i must protect her forever. this book made me very very happy, and i can't wait to check out more of françois' work.

Titan is a stunning story of politics, war, betrayal, and love. The coloring and illustrations are beautiful and really compliment the story. I can't wait to get my hands on a print copy!

Back when I was a teenager, I read Strikebreaker by Issac Asimov. It is a story that stayed with me partly because it dealt with industrial relations in a way I hadn't up to that point seen before in a sci-fi story, and, partly because in reinforced my rather un-nuanced view at the time that scabs in the end always made things worse for their fellow workers. Titan like Strikebreaker is a sci-fi story about industrial relations. It explores the corrupting power of unions to further the conditions of their members, the constant drive that corporations have to grow profits at the cost of their workers, and, what happens when these two forces come into conflict. It also has at its heart a rather tender love story.

Worldbuilding in science fiction stories is as critical as the plot and the characters. Vigneault's art is impressive. Everything is wonderfully rendered in a palette of reds, whites, and, blacks. Everything from the spacesuit designs to the living quarters seems believable. Despite its somewhat cartoony stylings, this is one of the most realistic sci-fi depictions of what life on an extra-planetary body might be like that I have seen since Ad Astra.

As impressive as Vigneault's art is it matched by his plotting and dialogue. The story is gripping and to its credit took off in a direction that I found unexpected. Everybody loves a plot twist.

The hardest trick for a writer to pull off is to make you care about an unlikeable character. João da Silva brings to mind Ryan Bingham from Up in the Air (as played by George Clooney). He is either going to turn things around or recommend that the station be closed. Yet early on I began to warm to him. Though getting the mine back to profitably was his main concern, he wanted to learn as much about the plant before making any decisions. In Phoebe Mackintosh we have I think we have found yet another great sci-fi heroine. Equal parts brave, kind, and, driven, she is both likeable and spikey. She does the things one wishes they would have the courage to do when the stakes are high.

I thought Titan was brilliant. A shining example of a sci-fi story exploring the way humans treat each other. It is one of those books that make you want to read the creators other works and look forward to their future stories. Highly recommended.

28/30

'Titan #1' with story and art by François Vigneault is a science fiction graphic novel of workers and managers.

Manager, or MNGR, Joao da Silva is sent to the moon of Titan to oversee a labor dispute. The inhabitants of Titan are larger than terrans, and also outnumber the terrans on the moon. Joao is convinced that everyone can work together and he has union representative Phoebe Mackintosh to help. The Titans, though, have other plans.

I liked this story of conflict and rioting on another planet. The space and technology aspects kept it interesting. The art wasn't completely to my liking at first, but I ended up liking it and it works really well for the story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.