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Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

Comic Books

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

It’s the distant future. Humanity has colonized the stars so long ago and to such a wide extent that some planets have forgotten their roots and regressed into a backwards state of existence. These planets are called Retroworlds. Let’s see if this latest book from Humanoids is any good?

Retroworld Vol. 1 (Humanoids)

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

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If you were a fan of Heavy Metal the magazine (or the terrible movie with John Candy) and like your sci-fi to be pretty and interesting to look at, then this is a great choice. The artwork is crazy and colorful and headbutts you in the eyes with excellent costume, character, monster, and world design.

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review
Space Link! Look out for that Octorok!

Based on the novels of Julia Verlanger, a french sci-fi writer in the 70s, the story is a pretty fun ride as well, leading us over the course of 200 pages through an archaic caste system on one of these Retroworlds, into the galaxy-spanning government that’s attempting to negotiate and deal with these throwbacks, and the special forces like teams responsible for infiltration.

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

Is It Good?

Kind of. Let me start by saying that I enjoyed reading the book, and have no issues with the plot or artwork. It’s a pretty standard sci-fi hero journey, but I recently paid 20 bucks to go see Star Wars VII which is the exact same plot as A New Hope, and enjoyed it. Same thing here. The political intrigue, battles, weapons, and future setting all come together into a good read.

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

The issue I have is that this book feels like a sprint. I’m not sure if it’s a translation issue, or a “we adapted this from a much longer novel” issue, but the pacing feels dramatically off. This might just be an issue with translating this specific story to panels, or it might be a weakness in the source material I’m unfamiliar with, but either way it was jarring for me. Characters mourn a death, and a page later they’re pretty well over it. Everyone is paper thin and replaceable, but if you don’t mind a quick read without much empathy, this will suffice. Everything else lined up so nicely though, and your own experience with it might be far different.

Retroworld Vol. 1 Review

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